Love Never Fades
by autumnrose2010
Summary: Takes place in the early 1990's. Dimitri is a former KGB agent now living in California. Rose is a struggling actress. They haven't seen one another in five years. What will it be like when Dimitri meets his small daughter for the first time?
1. In The Studio

Standing in the queue with the other mothers and their tots, Rose felt optimistic about the audition for the commercial. Everyone who knew Marina knew how big of a ham the four-year-old was. With her father's good looks, she was a real charmer, and she'd also inherited her mother's penchant for the limelight.

"Next!" called the expensively-dressed Hollywood producer. Rose beckoned her daughter over and led her into the studio.

"And who do we have here?" The man smiled and knelt to Marina's level.

"Marina!"

"Marina Hathaway-Belikova," Rose told the producer. If he recognized her at all, it certainly didn't show. Not that her face was that well-known anyway. She'd only recently gotten her first real break, playing the part of Mary Martin in a recent remake of 'Night and Day.' A producer similar to the one now speaking to her daughter had pronounced her singing voice 'phenomenal' and so had decided to give her the role.

"Crispy delight, at a price that's right!" Marina sang confidently. Rose had never actually frequented the fast-food restaurant being advertised, but nobody would ever guess that fact from the little girl's level of enthusiasm.

"She must have been born holding a microphone," the producer said to Rose when the session was over.

"When will we know whether or not she got the part?" asked Rose.

"Monday or Tuesday of next week." A light bulb suddenly blew. "No problem. I'll just get Dominic to check it." The producer smiled. "Dominic Belk. He's our tech guy."

Rose recognized him as soon as she saw him. From the look in his eyes, he obviously recognized her as well, and his amazement grew exponentially as soon as he saw Marina. _"Bozhe moy." _His eyes practically bugged out of his head, and his voice was barely a whisper as he glanced back at Rose. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Both guilty and afraid, she stared at her feet as she glanced up at him ever so slowly. "I was afraid you'd want me to get an abortion," she muttered.

"Of course not," he practically snorted. "I would have supported you in whatever you decided to do." Slowly he approached mother and daughter in non-threatening eagerness. "But you should have told me."

"Who are you?" Marina asked abruptly.

Dimitri finally managed a small smile. "I'm your Papa." It was obvious to Rose that he desperately wanted to touch the child but didn't dare.

Marina turned to her mother. "Is it true?"

Rose nodded. Marina grinned at Dimitri and held her arms out to him. Eagerly he picked her up and held her. The two of them embraced silently for a long moment in which Rose felt slightly left out. "And what's your name, little one?"

"I'm Marina! What's your name?"

"Er...Dominic." He was obviously startled but pleased by the child's gregariousness.

"I remember your telling me how much you liked that name," Rose explained.

_"Spasibo." _His grin was broader and more genuine this time as he held his hand out to Rose. "Shall we take a walk? We have much to discuss."

"Yes, we do," she agreed. "Like, why the hell did you change your name? Are you ashamed of being Russian now?"

He smiled wryly. "Acutely embarrassed is more like it." Rose almost felt sorry for him. The outcome of the Cold War had left many in his position lost and confused. Only a few even remained in the United States. In truth, she was surprised that he was one of them.

"There's no need to be. The world needs tech guys too." It was still quite a demotion from one of the former enemy's top espionage agents, and they both knew it.

"How's your career going?" he asked.

"Actually quite well." She told him about the part in the upcoming movie.

"I'm glad." He sounded sincere enough.

"My Mommy's a superstar!" Marina said proudly.

Rose gave a low chuckle. "Not quite."

"You shouldn't have had to go through that alone," Dimitri told Rose.

She sighed. What could she say? She'd left him because she'd _had _to. She simply hadn't been able to take it anymore, the conflict between her loyalty to her country and her feelings for him. Not even the discovery that Marina was on the way had swayed her decision. She'd carried and delivered her daughter, had cared for her and raised her alone, never even suspecting that she'd ever see Dimitri again.

And now, suddenly, inexplicably, he was back.


	2. At The Park

"So, where were you when it happened?" asked Rose.

"In my office, doing routine paperwork." Dimitri smiled sheepishly. "I heard over the radio that my position had been eliminated. What a way to find out!" He laughed sharply. "Moscow didn't even contact me until later that evening."

"You must have been devastated," said Rose.

"Shocked and disoriented at first," Dimitri replied. "The devastation set in later."

"So, why did you stay when so many others went back?"

He shrugged. "I've been here in the United States for so many years now. It's my home."

"But don't you miss anyone over there?"

He shook his head. "Everyone who ever mattered to me is gone now." He turned his attention to the little girl in his arms. "Where would you like to go, Marina? There's a nice park near here, with slides and swings."

Marina grinned. Rose knew the park. She'd taken her daughter there several times. She wondered how Dimitri knew of it.

"I pass it every day on my way to work." It was as if he'd read her mind.

"Do you live near here?" asked Rose.

"A couple of blocks over. You?"

"I'm about a twenty minute bus ride away."

They'd reached the park. Dimitri set Marina down on her feet, and the little girl ran eagerly toward the swings. "Thank you for not gloating," said Dimitri.

"Why should I gloat?" asked Rose. "You know I've never really been into politics."

"But you must have been afraid. All Americans were afraid."

Rose didn't answer. She watched Marina swinging back and forth, her dark brown hair blowing in the wind, her face flushed with the exuberance of early childhood.

"She reminds me so much of you," said Dimitri.

"Why? She's the spitting image of _you!"_

"She has your voice." He sounded wistful as he watched the small, lithe figure swinging back and forth. "Your spirit."

"She's the only thing in the world that ever belonged to me, and only me," Rose replied. "Many times, she's the only thing that kept me going when I just wanted to give up." It was true. She'd had Marina, but who, or what, had Dimitri had?

* * *

**Six Years Previously**

_Who can explain it?  
Who can tell you why?  
Fools give you reasons  
Wise men never try...  
_

Her eyes swept the audience and connected with a pair of dark brown ones. He smiled ever so slightly. Who was he? What was he thinking? She noticed that he lingered after the rest of the audience had left, frowning darkly at her.

"In my country, the performance of such a play would earn you a stiff prison sentence," he told her.

She felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine, unsettling but thrilling, in a way. Looking into those dark orbs, she was certain she saw a glimmer of amusement mixed with the overt disapproval that obviously dominated.

"Just for expressing emotion?" she asked.

"Our leaders would label it the corruption of the proletariat psyche by Western decadence."

Rose almost giggled. His frown deepened, then suddenly relaxed and was replaced by a smile. "I'm Dimitri Belikov."

"Rose...Rose Hathaway." She smiled back and shook his proffered hand.

"Do you have plans for this coming Friday evening?"

"Well, no..."

"Then allow me to take you out to dinner."

Her heart began to pound madly in her chest. Everything about him...the casual business attire, the vague aroma of aftershave, the slight but obvious Slavic accent...was perfect.

* * *

**Present Day  
**

"Would you like to come over to the apartment for awhile?" she asked, on impulse. "It isn't much..." Not by comparison to his own previous quarters, it certainly wasn't.

"Certainly." He smiled. "I want to see where my Marina lives."

_My _Marina. Suddenly he sounded very possessive of her. Yet didn't she belong to him as much as to her? Hadn't it been selfish of her to have withheld their mutual daughter from him for so long?

"Tell me about her." As Dimitri spoke, Marina jumped off the swing and ran to the largest slide. "What was she like as a baby?"

"She's always been highly intelligent, and also very curious as well," Rose replied. "Always wanting to know how things work, why things are the way they are. I've got a whole album of photographs at home, if you'd like to see them."

"Of course!" He looked more enthusiastic than she'd ever seen him before. Suddenly she couldn't wait to share the photographs with him.


	3. At The Restaurant

"This is her first picture," said Rose. The photograph had been made at WalMart, when Marina had been about two weeks old. She wore a frilly pink dress that Rose had just purchased, pink tights, and black patent leather shoes, and there was a white lace headband with a pink rose on her nearly-bald head.

There were no photographs of a newly-born Marina, as there had been no one to take them.

"And this was when she was about six months old." Marina was sitting and smiling, dressed in a pink-and-white-checked dress with a sailor collar, a tiny pink bow in the one tuft of hair on top of her head. "This is her first birthday." A little girl with pigtails grinned a toothy grin behind a cake with pink and white frosting. There were many others: Marina sitting in Santa's lap, Marina with the Easter bunny, Marina with her first tricycle.

"So much lost time," Dimitri said softly. "Wasted time."

Rose sighed and stared at the floor. What could she say? She'd known that a choice had had to be made, and right or wrong, she'd made it. There was no going back.

"I thought about you every day," she told him. It was true. How many nights in her dreams had she seen his face, heard his voice? _Sing that song for me again._

She'd obliged. _Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh, so mellow. Try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain was yellow...  
_

She'd heard the soft click as he'd hung up the telephone. Why hadn't she sought him out as soon as it had all ended? There had just been too much water under the bridge, she supposed; too many lost days...

**Six Years Earlier**

"Thank you for dinner," she said. "It was nice."

"So, shall I take you back home now?" he asked.

"As opposed to what?"

In response he leaned over and kissed her, a deep, passionate kiss, his tongue sliding gracefully into her mouth, hers entangling with it in a dance of ecstasy. His hand slowly drifted downward to settle between her legs, and white hot passion shot through her.

They both knew that she wouldn't be going home that night.

As they slowly and gingerly undressed one another, she felt her passion building to a crescendo, and as she removed his final article of clothing, she saw the evidence of his arousal, and it increased her own exponentially.

He was surprisingly gentle, taking his time to make sure that she'd achieved fulfillment before allowing his own to happen. Afterwards, they lay together in one another's arms, talking softly.

"So all those stories about Russians being red hot lovers are true, after all," she observed.

He laughed. "I'm glad I pleased you."

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"What would you like to happen?"

She cuddled closer to him. "All I want is to stay right here with you."

**Present Day**

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" asked Rose.

"I was hoping to take you both out," Dimitri replied.

"Yippee!" shouted Marina. "Can we go to the place with the indoor slide?"

"I was thinking maybe somewhere with a nice view," said Dimitri. The restaurant he took them to had floor length windows looking out over an elevated view, a beige interior, plush carpeting, and pillars supporting a circular roof. The effect was magical, transporting Rose to another place and time.

"Wow!" Marina grinned happily as they entered the dining area, having quite forgotten about the fast food restaurant with the indoor gym.

Dimitri ordered their meals: lobster with salad, corn and potatoes for himself and Rose, fish sticks and french fries for Marina.

"I never thought I'd sit with you having dinner together like this again," said Rose.

"Are you happy that things turned out as they did?" asked Dimitri.

"Are you?" she asked.

He gave a sardonic smile. "I asked you first."

She smiled broadly. "To me it's like a miracle," she said. "When we were together before, things were so...complicated. And now, all of a sudden, they're not anymore. I can enjoy being with you without feeling that I'm betraying my country. I don't have to worry about what ulterior motives might be behind your every move. For the very first time, I feel like I can trust you completely."

He looked overjoyed. "I never stopped loving you, you know," he said. "When you told me what you'd decided, it hurt me very deeply, but I knew that I had to let you have your freedom. I couldn't force you to stay. But I never forgot what we'd once had, never stopped hoping that we could have it again someday."

She felt her heartbeat quicken. "Were there any other women after me?"

He didn't meet her eyes. "None that mattered."

For a few moments silence reigned. Rose had never been with any other man since the last time she'd been with Dimitri. Although she'd known that chances of ever seeing him again were slim, she just hadn't had the desire for another relationship. The advancement of her career and Marina's welfare had been her only concerns.

Besides, every time she'd looked into those dark eyes, she'd seen him there.


	4. Just Like It Used To Be

Rose busied herself with moving the food around on her plate. "I'm so sorry I kept her from you for so long," she said at last. "That was wrong. You had the right to know she existed, to have contact with her. Even if..." Her eyes met his.

"It seems to me that you've done a fine job of raising her by yourself so far." He smiled. "It must have been difficult."

She nodded. "It was...challenging at times." _The hardest part was seeing you every time I looked at her, _she wanted to add, but didn't. "So tell me about yourself...your life. What have you been doing for the past five years?"

Dimitri sighed. "What was there _to _do? The limousine, the penthouse, all of it...gone, just like that. Right after it happened, I sank into a deep depression. Some days I couldn't even get out of bed. Others I spent hugging a bottle of vodka constantly. After awhile I started drifting southwest, eventually ending up in Hollywood, and here I am." He gave a rueful smile. "And what about you, Roza? What have you done for the past five years? Other than caring for Marina, of course."

"What I've always done," she told him. "One day I was singing 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' in a production of 'Evita'. Afterwards, a producer approached me and gave me his card. Told me he was holding auditions for a sitcom about singing nuns inspired by the Whoopie Goldberg movie 'Sister Act.' I got the part, but the sitcom flopped. They ended up only making about three or four episodes of it."

"I'm sorry." He'd watched the movie himself, although it had of course been contraband for him. He'd found it to be delightfully funny, a refreshing change from the state-approved fare to which he'd been accustomed.

"It's all right. They're doing a remake of 'Night and Day' in which I play Mary Martin. It's in post-production now and should be released in a couple of months."

"Great! I can't wait to see it. Perhaps we could go to see it together."

"Maybe." Marina was getting fidgety, which Rose knew meant that it was time to go. Dimitri paid and they left, both holding hands with Marina, who skipped happily between them. When they reached her door he paused. "Would you like for me to come in?"

"Please stay, Papa!" Marina begged.

Rose laughed nervously. "Sounds like it's already been decided." She unlocked the door, and the three of them entered the dark, quiet apartment. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, please," he replied. She poured them both glasses of wine, gave Marina a juice box, and turned Nickelodeon on.

"Her bedtime's in thirty minutes," she explained to Dimitri.

"Oh, that's fine!" he laughed, one of the few times she'd ever heard him do so. "Please don't change your nightly routine just for my sake."

"Do you like the Ren and Stempy show, Papa?" asked Marina.

"I've never heard of it," Dimitri replied. "But I'm sure it's an excellent program." He sat on the sofa, and the little girl happily climbed into his lap. Twenty minutes later, she was sound asleep.

"I'll put her to bed." Rose took her daughter into her arms, carried her into the bedroom, and tucked her into bed, returning five minutes later to find Dimitri sitting, still staring at the television with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Forgive me, Roza, but I feel a bit disoriented right now." He chuckled uneasily. "I've just been introduced to a way of life that until now has been totally foreign to me."

"But haven't you ever wanted to be...a father?" Relief flooded through her as she realized how dangerously close she'd come to inserting the word 'husband' into that sentence.

"I've thought about it a few times." He shrugged. "Before, there just never was enough time." He sighed, suddenly looking like a child who'd just had a candy bar snatched away from him. "There's plenty of time now, I suppose."

She frowned. "You make it sound like that's a bad thing."

"The people at the studio don't even know who I am, or rather, who I used to be," he told her. "To them I've always been simply Dominic Belk."

"There's no shame in having been defeated," Rose replied. "Look at the South after the Civil War, Germany and Japan after World War II. They took a pounding and then got right back up again. They didn't just lie there licking their wounds." His obvious self-pity was beginning to get to her.

"We were so blind. All of us." His eyes held a faraway look. "We should have seen it coming, but we didn't. All the signs were there. Mikhail Gorbachev and glasnost. Ronald Reagan and the arms race. It was only a matter of time."

"It just happened, that's all," Rose said. "There's no point in blaming Mikhail Gorbachev or Ronald Reagan or anybody else. It just happened."

"It wasn't all a bad thing, you know." He smiled as he stood and pulled her close. "It brought me back together with my Roza, didn't it?" Suddenly exhausted, she rested her head on his shoulder, and instantly it was just like it used to be. He held her more tightly and rubbed her back.

They stood like that for a long time, neither of them saying a word.


	5. A Special Treat

_Warning: mild lemon_

"Would you like some more wine?" Rose finally asked.

"Yes, please."

She poured them both another glass of wine. "What would you like to watch?"

"It doesn't matter. Whatever you want to watch is fine with me."

Rose found 'Ghost' and put it in the player. "I've always loved this movie. Have you ever seen it?"

Dimitri nodded. "Survival of the human personality after physical death. A very Western idea."

"Do you always have to turn everything into a philosophical discussion?"

"I was merely commenting on the tendency of certain members of society to hope for an afterlife in which the wrongs of this life will be righted. But we have no guarantee of that, do we?"

"Well, no..." Rose admitted.

"That's why it's so important to live the life we have now as fully as we can." He grinned and pulled Rose close. "And I think five years is long enough to have deprived ourselves. Don't you?"

He began to kiss her with as much passion as ever before, and she responded in like manner as his hands began to roam all over her body. "Shall we adjourn to the bedroom?" he murmured, taking her hand.

In the bedroom, one article of clothing after another was shed, until they both stood naked except for their underwear. "So for you this is the first time in five years, right?" Dimitri chuckled sheepishly. "Not that it's any of my business, of course."

"Right."

"You deserve a special treat, then." Gently he picked her up and laid her on the bed, where he began to place light, feathery kisses along her collarbone while his fingers played with her nipples. She moaned involuntarily and arched her back.

"Patience, my dear." Dimitri chuckled softly as he took first one, then the other, nipple into his mouth as his fingers moved to stroke the crotch of her increasingly damp panties.

He placed more soft kisses all the way down to her belly button and, just when she thought she could stand it no more, gently peeled her panties down and off. Eagerly she spread her legs for him, and he began to use his fingers, lips and tongue to bring her indescribable sensations. Waves of pleasure shot through her and, remembering that Marina was in the next room, she bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying out his name.

Before she knew it, he'd quickly slipped on a condom and entered her, and a short time later, she heard his ecstatic moan. Then he rolled over and pulled her close to himself. She lay quiet and still, listening to the pounding of his heart.

"I hope it was worth the wait," he said after a few minutes.

"Of course it was. Was it for you?"

"Mm hm." He embraced her. "Now that my Roza is in my arms again, I'm a happy man."

"Do you really think we can just pick right back up where we left off?" She raised herself up on her elbows so that she could look into his eyes.

He frowned. "Why not?"

"Well...it's been five years, Dimitri. You've changed...I've changed..."

"So what are you saying?" She heard the panicked edge in his voice and immediately felt guilty.

"Only that maybe we should take things slow, at least for now."

He grinned. "So what's the rush?"

**Five Years Previously**

"Your pregnancy test is positive," the nurse told Rose. Numb with shock, the actress just sat there for a minute, allowing the news to absorb. She'd always been so careful, or at least, she thought she'd been.

The nurse was still talking, going on and on about due dates, appointments, ultrasounds, and prenatal vitamins, but all Rose could think about was Dimitri. What would he think? How would he feel? Would he be angry? Happy? She felt a cold sliver of fear go through her body. Would he try to take the baby away from her? Would he flee back to Russia with their child, leaving Rose all alone?

She was shaking as she returned to her small apartment, where she fastened both locks on the door, walked into the bedroom, and curled up into as tight a ball as she could on the bed.

**Present Day**

As Rose awakened in Dimitri's arms, the events of the previous day washed over her. She simply couldn't believe that so much had happened in less than twenty-four hours.

She felt Dimitri's fingers stroking her hair and realized that he was awake as well. "Morning," she mumbled.

"Good morning, Roza." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mm hm. Did you?"

"Like a baby." Playfully he smacked her bottom. "Sorry to rush off, but I have to get back to the studio soon."

"Don't you even have time for breakfast?"

"As long as it's something quick."

She made a couple of slices of buttered toast for him, dumped shredded wheat into a bowl for herself, and poured coffee for them both. After hurriedly gobbling down the toast and taking a few gulps of coffee, he walked down the hallway and eased Marina's bedroom door open. Rose followed, puzzled. After a moment, he slowly slid the door shut and turned to leave.

"I just wanted one last look at her before I had to go," he whispered to Rose.


	6. Dimitri's Nightmare

Marina awakened several hours later. "Is my Papa still here?" was the first thing she wanted to know.

"He had to go back to work," Rose told her. "We'll see him again later."

"Is he gonna live here now?" the little girl asked.

"No, he has his own apartment." Rose thought about the conversation she and Dimitri had had the previous night after making love. What would it be like to wake up in his arms every morning? For so many mornings, too many to count, she'd awakened alone in a cold bed...

She sighed and poured cereal into a bowl for Marina.

Dimitri came by to visit that evening. "Papa!" Marina, who was watching Sesame Street, ran to embrace him. He hugged and kissed her and gave her a toy which consisted of five chickens facing each other in a circle on a round platform.

"They're pecking hens," he told her. "See? They lower their heads to pick up food and then raise them again. It used to belong to me when I was a little boy." It had been his favorite toy in childhood, and he'd brought it with him when he'd first come to the United States, taking it out of its hiding place when no one else was present and he felt homesick.

"Neato!" Marina exclaimed. "So are you gonna move in with Mommy and me, Papa?"

Dimitri and Rose exchanged a glance, and he winked at his daughter. "Maybe someday."

* * *

Although the corpse was covered with greenish mold and bones could be seen through its open sores, Dimitri recognized Ivan right away. In the hazy unreality of dreams, the younger man realized that he didn't even feel afraid, that a part of him had always known that this day would eventually come.

"You have to tell them the truth," Ivan said. "You have to admit that I didn't die a hero's death after all, that I died a coward instead."

"But what difference does it make now?" asked Dimitri. "It's over. They won, and we lost."

"My spirit cannot rest until all the wrongs I did are put right," Ivan replied. "I thought that taking my own life would suffice, but I was wrong."

"It wasn't your fault," Dimitri insisted. "It never occurred to you that they might refuse to hand over the atomic weapon secrets."

"I knew it was a possibility," said Ivan. "I never should have gone along with the plan."

"There's no reason for you to feel guilty," Dimitri replied. "You were doing what you thought was best for your country, for our country."

"I intentionally allowed the death of innocent men." Dimitri heard the anguished remorse in his former supervisor's voice. "When I saw what I'd allowed to happen, I knew I'd never be able to live with it."

"It was a mistake," Dimitri conceded. "We made a lot of them, but we always had the best interests of the motherland at heart. I couldn't let them think of you as a murderer and a coward. I had to leave you some dignity."

"But a murderer and a coward are exactly what I am," Ivan said mournfully. "My spirit cannot rest until you make that clear."

"I see no point in besmirching your name this many years after it happened." Dimitri was adamant.

"You have to tell them..." Ivan's voice grew faint as his corpse faded away into nothingness. Dimitri awakened in a sweat, his heart pounding.

The following day, Dimitri and Rose lay relaxing on the beach while Marina collected sea shells. "I had a terrible dream last night," said Dimitri. He and Rose were lounging on fold-up recliners underneath a beach umbrella.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Rose.

"Remember that time I called you from the capitol and wanted you to sing 'Try To Remember' for me?"

"It was right after the CIA agents and your boss were killed."

Dimitri drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "The truth is, Ivan wasn't murdered." It was the first time he'd ever told anyone the truth.

"He wasn't?"

"He killed himself because he couldn't live with what he'd done."

Rose gasped. "You mean...he killed the American spies and then himself?"

Dimitri shook his head. "He didn't kill them himself, but he allowed them to be killed. He was part of a plan in which the agents were kidnapped and ordered to hand over atomic weapon secrets. They refused and were then murdered by Ivan's thugs. It was all part of a larger plot in which Ivan's superiors in Moscow had threatened to have the Capitol building blown up."

"You mean just like Guy Fawkes tried to do in England three hundred years ago?"

"Ivan made a deal with them in which they promised not to go through with the plan if he could get the atomic weapons secrets. He thought for sure that the agents would hand them over, but they wouldn't. I found out about the plan and tried my best to get there in time to stop it, but I was too late. I found Ivan's suicide note and destroyed it right away, and when the police got there, I told them that Ivan had been killed trying to protect the agents from a right wing militia group who thought they were double agents."

"So you lied about how it happened and tried to make the Americans look bad." Rose's voice was cold.

"I loved him like a father, Rose. I couldn't stand for the truth to get out."

Rose pretended to be absorbed in watching a family set up a picnic at one of the covered tables.

"Rose?"

She acted as if he hadn't spoken.


	7. Seashells And Sand Castles

Marina walked up to them, water droplets dripping from her hair, pink plastic bucket swinging back and forth.

"Did you find lots of shells, honey?" Rose asked her daughter.

Marina nodded. "I found this one that looks just like a heart. Doesn't it, Papa?" She took the shell out of her bucket and showed it to Dimitri.

"It does, _dochenka." _His eyes meeting those of Rose held a pleading look, which she attempted to ignore but didn't quite succeed.

"I think it's about time to go home, Marina," Rose said.

"Aw, Mommy, can't we stay just a little bit longer? Please?"

"Would you like for me to build a sand castle with you?" Dimitri volunteered with a smile.

"Oh, yes, Papa!"

Rose watched as father and daughter built the sand castle together, thinking about what a complex man Dimitri really was. Loving and sensitive, he'd nevertheless been absolutely loyal and devoted to his country and its ideals, so much so that, in the end, he'd allowed the perpetuation of a lie to preserve its reputation. Could she ever forgive him for that? She remembered all the discussions, the arguments, the back-and-forth debates they'd had the first time they'd been together. However much he'd seemed to admire the American way, he'd never hesitated to support the Soviet Union in every conflict of interest.

Had she been as devoted to her own heritage and background? Obviously not, until the end, when she'd abandoned the relationship in favor of what she'd considered to be her patriotic duty.

Had that been a mistake? At the time, she'd been sure that she was doing the right thing. And yet, all those nights she'd dreamed of Dimitri, especially after she'd begun to feel her child's movements inside her body, had caused her to waver at times. Almost.

By the time they'd finished the sand castle, the sun was markedly lower in the sky, and there was a biting chill in the air. Dimitri reached to help her up, and she hesitated for only a moment before taking his hand.

"Please don't be angry," he said as they walked back to her apartment together. "I was more distraught than I'd ever been before in my life. I'd just lost the man who'd meant the world to me."

"What about the CIA agents?" Rose asked coldly.

"That horrified me too, Roza. I would have given anything if I only could have gotten there in time to stop it."

"I believe you." Suddenly she felt deeply sorry for him. "But you should have told the truth about the way it happened."

"I know," he admitted. "Lying was a way of life for us. We could trust no one, not even each other."

"But you trusted Ivan."

"I did. We were on the same side, he and I. Yes, we both wanted to bring the United States down, but we wanted to do so as humanely as possible. Neither of us wanted to see innocent people die."

"But he never told you about the plot to kidnap the CIA agents."

"Regrettably, no." They walked along in silence for awhile. "I don't know what to do, Roza. Ivan's ghost cannot rest until the matter is resolved."

"I thought you didn't believe in life after death."

"I don't. I mean...I didn't."

"It was only a dream, after all," Rose reminded him.

"It was more real than any dream I've ever had, Roza. I have to set the record straight."

"But how will you do that?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll have to find a way."

* * *

**Four and a half years previously**

Rose was lying on the sofa watching television when the contractions began. When her water broke a few minutes later, she knew that it was the real thing this time. She asked Lissa to drive her to the hospital, where she was taken up to the obstetrics floor in a wheelchair.

After lying on a hard bed in a flimsy nightgown until well past midnight, a nurse put her feet up in stirrups and told her that it was time to push her baby out. Contractions were now washing over her like tidal waves, and with each one, she pushed with all her might. At last she felt a burning sensation. "Here comes the head," said the nurse. "You're almost there, Rose. Just a couple more pushes."

Next came one shoulder, then the other, and then the entire baby slid out. "It's a girl!" the nurse announced.

Rose watched in awe as the umbilical cord was cut and the infant, wrinkled and red and screaming, was placed on the scale. "Eight pounds, three ounces," the nurse proclaimed. "She's a big one. Got a healthy set of lungs in her, too."

Rose winced as her inadequately-anesthetized bottom was stitched up, and at long last, the baby was placed into her waiting arms. The infant immediately stopped crying and gazed up at her with solemn milky blue eyes. "She recognizes your heartbeat," the nurse told Rose. "Isn't that neat?"

"Her name is Marina," Rose said softly. "Marina Dimitrovna Belikova."


	8. My Favorite Man In The Whole Wide World

Marina got the part in the commercial. The recording studio called Rose with the news Tuesday morning. She was pleased but not one bit surprised. "They chose you to do the commercial over all the other children who tried out for it," she told her daughter, who was having a tea party with her dolls.

"Does that mean I'm the best?" asked the little girl.

"That's exactly what it means, sweetie," Rose said proudly.

They met Dimitri at the studio for lunch that day. "I'm gonna be in a commercial, Papa!" Marina exclaimed as soon as she saw her father.

"Are you, now?" He grinned as he picked her up and hugged her.

"She got the part in the commercial," Rose explained.

"I knew they would chose you," Dimitri told his daughter. "You have both your mother's beauty and her talent."

Rose smiled and blushed slightly at the compliment. They went through the line at the cafeteria and then chose a table. "I called the office of the most popular newspaper in the Washington, D.C. area," Dimitri told Rose. "I told them that the information I'd provided to them five years ago was false, that it was KGB agents rather than American militia who had killed the CIA agents, and that Ivan had known about the plan and condoned it, that his own death had been a suicide, not an assassination. They told me that they could print a retraction but that after this length of time, probably no one would pay much attention. 'That's old news,' they told me. 'These days, people are a lot more concerned with what's going on in the mid East.'" He sighed. "I suppose poor Ivan's spirit will never rest."

"Well, it sounds to me as if you've done all you can to set the record straight," Rose replied. "I'd say the ball's in their court now."

Dimitri looked thoughtful. "I've been thinking of writing a book about my experiences with the KGB," he told Rose. "I could devote a significant portion of it to divulging the truth about the tragedy." He smiled. "It could even be advantageous to your career. 'I knew Rose Hathaway before she became famous.'"

Rose laughed. "I think I'm still a long way from being famous. I keep praying that the new Cole Porter movie will do well."

"With you as one of its major stars, how could it not?"

**Four and a half years previously**

"Such a long name for such a tiny little girl!" Lissa exclaimed. Rose was sitting on the sofa in the living room of Lissa's ranch house. Lissa and her two teenagers, Jacy and Seth, had moved into it following her separation from Christian, who was still in Washington, D.C., promoting his radical Democratic/Socialist agenda. Lissa's newly developed interest in a conservative Christian church and in championing its political causes had driven a wedge between husband and wife. Rose had recently also began attending in the church, and the death of Mason Ashford had only fueled her interest in it.

"It's the tradition in Dimitri's country," Rose explained. "The child's middle name is a patronymic, a form of the father's given name."

Lissa wrinkled her nose. "Whatever _that _means." She turned serious blue eyes to her friend. "Are you gonna tell him, Rose?"

Rose shrugged, watching her daughter's tiny chest gently rise and fall as she slept. It never failed to amaze her, how perfectly proportioned Marina's delicate features were. To Rose, it was nothing short of a miracle. "I'm too afraid."

"That he'll try to get custody?"

"Yes, but that's not all." How could she possibly tell Lissa that she dare not hear Dimitri's voice again, that if she did, she risked losing her heart to him all over again?

**Present Day**

"Is my Papa gonna see me too?" asked Marina as she stared winsomely into the camera.

"Of course he will, sweetie," Rose told her. "Everyone will."

By the end of the morning, the little girl was exhausted. Rose had planned to take her to the pizza theater to celebrate once shooting was over for the morning, but her daughter fell asleep on the way there. "Hon?" Rose shook Marina gently. "We're here."

Marina yawned and blinked. "At the pizza theater?"

"That's right."

"Oh boy!"

Half an hour later, they were munching vegetarian (Rose) and cheese (Marina) pizza while watching the animated robotic animals perform.

"Now I'm an actress just like you, Mommy," Marina said proudly.

"That's right. You are." Rose smiled at her daughter.

"Did you ever make a commercial before, or just movies?"

"Oh yes. I've done my share of commercials, all right."

"Do you think I'll ever make a movie?"

"I'm sure you will, sweetie."

"And then you and my Papa can come watch it?"

"Of course we will."

"I love my Papa, Mommy. He's my most favorite man in the whole wide world."

Rose smiled. "That's nice."

"Do you love my Papa too, Mommy?"

Rose couldn't answer her.


	9. The Movie

_If I invite a boy some night to cook up some hot enchilada, though Spanish rice is all very nice..._

Dimitri watched with rapt attention as Rose sang on the screen. It was the premier showing of the Cole Porter movie, and Rose, Dimitri, and Marina had all come to watch it together. Marina, who was by far the youngest person in attendance, sat proudly between her parents, holding both their hands. Anyone seeing them together would have assumed that they were a perfectly normal family enjoying an evening out.

Rose's eyes swept the audience, noticing how packed the theater was. The movie had been well publicized, and the result had been a large turnout, but she knew that that didn't serve as a reliable predictor of how well it would do at the box office. If it did well, she'd know fame and fortune beyond her wildest dreams; if it flopped, she might as well move back to Montana.

The credits began to roll, the audience to stand and file into the center aisle. Dimitri and Rose joined them. In the darkness of the theater, no one would recognize her face, but once they reached the lobby, it would be a different story. Would any of her fellow attendees glance her way and realize who she was?

Everyone must have been in a hurry to leave, as no one gave her so much as a nod of the head. She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Celebrity status was what she'd longed for her entire life, but once it was achieved, what then? Would it mean life in a goldfish bowl, her every movement subject to intense scrutiny?

"That was a really good movie, Mommy," Marina said loyally.

"Thank you, sweetie," Rose replied.

"Are you all right?" asked Dimitri, concerned about her sudden reticence.

"Yeah," Rose said softly. "I was just thinking...if this movie takes off, it's gonna really change my life...our lives."

Dimitri chuckled. "Well, wasn't that the whole point?"

"Well, yes, I suppose it was."

"Don't tell me you're having second thoughts right at this point in your career."

"No...no, of course not. This is what I've always wanted, but if I get it, what will happen to us?"

Dimitri looked blank. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, can we just go on as we are now?"

She felt Dimitri's arm slip around her shoulders. "I was hoping things would become more permanent."

Rose felt her heart begin to beat faster. She had to swallow the lump in her throat. "Do you mean..."

Dimitri laughed. "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that it would happen this way." She looked at him expectantly, a slight frown on her face. "I've loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you, Rose. When my entire world came crashing down around me, the only thing that kept me going was the hope that I'd see your sweet face again some day, and now not only has that happened, but I've also discovered that we created a beautiful child, a miracle, together. I'd be a fool to ever let you go again." On the damp asphalt of a movie theater parking lot in the dead of night, he knelt on one knee and looked up at her. "Rose Hathaway, will you marry me?"

"Please say yes, Mommy!" begged Marina. Looking into her daughter's clear blue eyes, Rose knew that she could never let her down. Watching the little girl and her father together, it was obvious how deeply they loved one another. Marina deserved nothing less than a happy family life with a mother and father who presented a united front. How could Rose deny her that?

"Well..." Rose laughed shakily. "After all that, how could I possibly say no?"

* * *

''Night And Day' Star Engaged To Former High Ranking KGB Officer' read the headline of the entertainment magazine. "How did they find out so fast?" asked Rose, waiting in line at the check-out with Dimitri and Marina.

"You'd be amazed at the speed with which information can be gathered," Dimitri said cryptically. His remark sent a chill down Rose's spine. The movie had been successful beyond anyone's wildest expectations. It received rave reviews in all the top celebrity magazines, and Rose had already been asked for a couple of interviews. She'd granted them but hadn't mentioned her engagement to Dimitri.

They eventually reached the cashier, who gasped and turned a little pale. "You're Rose Hathaway, aren't you?"

Rose nodded and smiled. "You must have seen the movie."

"God, I loved it! I've never heard 'My Heart Belongs To Daddy' sung quite like that before! Can I have your autograph?"

"Sure!"

The cashier found a pen and a slip of paper for Rose to sign. "Hey, what's the big hold-up?" grumbled someone further back in line. Rose hurriedly signed the paper and began to pile her groceries onto the conveyor belt.

"That lady knew you, Mommy!" Marina exclaimed after they'd left the store.

Dimitri laughed and ruffled her hair. "That's something you're going to have to get used to, _dochenka."_

The telephone was ringing when they entered the apartment. Rose picked it up and heard Lissa's voice. "So you went back to him, then."

Rose sighed. "I was gonna tell you..."

"But don't you still love your country, Rose? Don't you still love the Lord? Have you even prayed about this at all? I'll bet you haven't!"

"I can't talk right now, Lissa. Could I call you back in maybe fifteen minutes or so?"

"You're brushing me off, I know, but I really wish you'd think about what you're doing."

"I'm not brushing you off. I have a half gallon of ice cream that's melting and a quart of margarine that's going soft as we speak!"

"Well, don't say I didn't try to warn you."


	10. Jealous

"I remember all the times I saw Christian and Lissa together, how jealous it used to make me feel," Dimitri remarked after Rose had hung up the telephone.

"It did?" Rose's voice held a note of surprise as she opened the refrigerator and began to put the groceries away. "Have you been in touch with him lately?"

"I haven't spoken to the man in five years," Dimitri told her. "Not since..." He and Christian had been very close at one time. The KGB agent had been grooming the young political hopeful the entire time, preparing him for a role of leadership in a country which Dimitri had envisioned as decidedly leaning toward the left, assuaging the tiny pricks of his conscience by persuading himself that he was, after all, helping the United States to become a better country; therefore, the ends justified the means, didn't they?

"Why not?" asked Rose.

"What would I possibly have in common with him now?" Dimitri asked bitterly.

"On the surface, Lissa and I didn't seem to have much in common, either," Rose replied. "To be honest, it really surprised me how quickly she and I became close." A wave of sadness washed over Rose. For the first time since coming to California, she realized how keenly she missed her friends back in Montana.

"How are the kids?" asked Dimitri.

"Jacy's going into psychiatry. She hopes that someday she'll be able to help Justin." Mason Ashford's nephew, Justin, had been arrested for disorderly conduct and vandalism five years before. As a consequence, he'd been diagnosed as mentally unstable and committed to a mental hospital, where he'd been subjected to unscrupulous practices that had rendered him little more than a vegetable. Jacy Ozera, his high school sweetheart, had never stopped loving him, had never given up hope for his recovery. Although he'd seemed to have gained a minimum amount of awareness since his release, he remained in a wheelchair and still needed help with eating and getting dressed.

"What about Seth?" asked Dimitri. Rose noticed the way he pointedly ignored the subject of Justin and knew the reason for it. In the days of his political involvement, he'd supported the mental hospital to which Justin had been committed, as had Christian. It had been one of the primary issues that had led to the breakdown of the Ozera marriage. Every time she thought about it, Rose had to shake her head at the irony of the whole situation.

"He's still in college. Doing well, as far as I know."

"That's good." The awkwardness that always settled in when the folks in Montana were mentioned returned, and was promptly broken by Marina.

"Hey Mommy, can we go to the park when you're finished with the groceries?"

Rose wanted to give the little girl a giant hug and kiss. "Sure. I don't see why not."

However, by the time the final purchase had been put away, dark, threatening clouds loomed in the sky.

"No worries," said Dimitri. "There's an ice skating rink in Pasadena. It's about time she learned."

"She's only four!" Rose exclaimed.

"That's how old my cousin Milena was when she first learned to skate," Dimitri replied. "By the time she was a teenager, she'd already won many competitions and had even tried out for the Olympics. I'd also like to get her into gymnastics training and ballet lessons soon as well."

"My God!" Rose exclaimed. "Why can't she just be a kid for now?"

"You're the one who started her auditioning for commercials." Dimitri's brown eyes were cold. "Without consulting me, I might add. How old was she when she started doing that?"

"I wanted her to have all the chances I never got, Dimitri."

"Was your childhood that deprived? I was always led to believe that American children were raised with all the privilege and decadence Capitalism could afford."

"Money and material possessions aren't everything," Rose replied. "I wanted to be an actress for as long as I can remember, but my parents wouldn't let me take acting lessons. They always told me that Hollywood was the devil's playground."

"So running away to New York was your way of rebelling." Dimitri's eyes twinkled with amusement.

Rose laughed. "I guess so."

She went with Dimitri and Marina to the ice skating rink. As she could have predicted, Marina proved to be a natural on the ice and was soon keeping up with the other children. Rose wore darkly tinted sunglasses, and nobody recognized her. _Maybe everything will be all right, after all, _she told herself on the way home.

* * *

"No, we haven't set a date yet." Several days had passed, and Rose was talking to Lissa on the telephone. "We want a small, private ceremony, with a minimum of paparazzi. We may just end up going before a justice of the peace."

"No!" Lissa exclaimed, recalling the extravagance of her own long-ago wedding. All of her and Christian's family members and close friends had been there to witness the young man in his two thousand dollar tuxedo and the woman in her seven hundred dollar gown exchanging their vows. The wedding cake itself had had four tiers and had cost several hundred dollars.

"Why not? We'll be just as married," Rose replied.

"But it's the first wedding for both of you, isn't it?"

"Yes..."

"So it should be special!"

"It _will _be special, Lissa. However it happens, it will still be the most special thing in the world to me, Dimitri, and Marina."


	11. Wedding And Honeymoon

_Warning: Contains 'M' rated material but nothing really graphic_

The wedding ended up being performed, ironically enough, by a minister friend of Adrian's. Rose's old friend from her off-off-Broadway days was trying to make it in La-La Land as well and had arranged for the minister to perform the marriage of his old friend to his former nemesis. Adrian had known about, and strongly disapproved of, Rose's relationship with the Russian spy, and he'd been elated when she'd broken off the relationship and joined Lissa and the others in Montana. Now that the Cold War had ended, Adrian's distrust of Dimitri had mellowed as well, and he was now happy for Rose that she'd been reunited with the man she'd never stopped loving.

It took place in a small, cozy chapel not far from the studio. The walls were painted white, and there were soft white lights, white drapes, white chairs, and ivory roses in vases at the front and in small baskets suspended from the backs of the chairs.

Adrian and Aaron were the witnesses. "This is Dimitri," she said awkwardly as the three of them arrived, although she knew perfectly well that they realized exactly who he was.

"It's lovely to meet you," Dimitri said as he shook hands with both men. Adrian nodded acknowledgement with a slight smile; Aaron remained perfectly sober.

"And I'm Marina!" Rose's daughter spoke up eagerly. That broke the ice. Both men broke into wide grins.

"Well, hello there, Marina!" Adrian exclaimed. Even Aaron chuckled. Rose's eyes met Dimitri's, and she saw that he looked as relieved as she felt.

The ceremony commenced. As Rose stood with Dimitri exchanging her vows, her mind drifted back to her childhood, of all the times she'd pretended to be a bride, envisioning how her real wedding would be. She always knew that it would take place in a large cathedral with dozens of guests. She'd be wearing a long white gown with sparkling diamonds, a head dress with white roses, and white heels that also had glistening jewels.

The part about the wedding gown had actually come true. Despite his drastically reduced income, Dimitri had insisted that she have the very best and had taken her to one of the most expensive bridal boutiques in town, where he'd practically maxed out his credit card. Rose was already trying to think of a way to discreetly pay the balance on his account without hurting his pride.

The success of the Cole Porter movie had brought with it a financial windfall beyond Rose's wildest dreams. After the first few dizzying shopping expeditions, she'd begun to think seriously about how to prioritize her new assets. She could afford a much larger apartment now, of course, but her lease didn't expire until May and, accustomed to her old way of thinking, it seemed wasteful to pay so many months of rent at once just so that she could move into a new place sooner.

"Do you, Rose Marie Hathaway, take Dimitri Ivanovich Belikov to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the minister asked her.

"I do," Rose replied.

"Then by the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." As Dimitri kissed her, Rose felt a vague sense of unreality, as if she were moving in a dream. She halfway wondered whether she might awaken at any moment and find herself all alone in a small, dingy apartment in Chicago. Now that all her dreams were finally coming true one by one, she sometimes had a hard time grasping that it was all really real. She looked at Marina, who was dancing around ecstatically, her face shining with happiness. _Yes, it's really true. Dimitri and I are together at last, never to be parted again._

* * *

"It's just the two of us at last," Dimitri murmured, placing soft kisses on the supple skin of her neck. They were honeymooning in Acapulco, having hurriedly left the ceremony at the tell-tale sound of flashing cameras. Marina had played on the beach until she was quite exhausted and now lay fast asleep on one of the motel room's double beds. There had never been any question that their daughter would accompany them on their honeymoon; Dimitri had merely accepted it as a given and, realizing how important it was to him, Rose hadn't said a word about it.

Neither had it been an issue that the climate of their destination so closely resembled that of their home. "I've lived too many years in the cold and snow of Moscow and the wind of Chicago," Dimitri had said. "I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough of the sunshine for as long as I live. Who knows, maybe I'll even be able to get started on my first tan."

Having been raised in Key West, Rose was unable to even contemplate the idea of a man reaching Dimitri's age without having gotten tanned even once, and once again, the vastness of the difference between her own cultural background and that of her new husband struck her.

Now he murmured appreciatively as he began to kiss her face and massage her breasts, and she felt the evidence of his arousal against her thigh through both their clothing. She grasped his zipper and lowered it, then tugged his pants and underwear off. At the same time, she moved down on the bed until her face was level with his crotch.

He gasped with pleasure as he felt the moist warmth of her mouth enclose him and was bucking wildly within seconds. She moved her head aside just in time to avoid the splash of the hot liquid on her cheek.

At the same time, Marina awakened and gasped.


	12. Fried Ice Cream

Quickly realizing his predicament, Dimitri hastily gathered the bed's covering around his waist, but it was too late. Marina had already seen too much. "What's that thing on Papa?" The little girl looked more than a little perturbed.

Thanking her lucky stars that she herself was still fully dressed, Rose tried to explain to her daughter while Dimitri put his clothing back on with his back turned. "Boys and men are made differently from girls and women," she began. "Men have a special body part that women don't have, and when a man and woman love each other, the man can put his special part inside the woman, and it feels really good to them both."

Marina grimaced. "Yuck! I don't want one of those things inside me."

Rose laughed. "You'll feel differently about it when you're older."

Marina shook her head emphatically. "No I won't! I don't _ever _want one of those things inside me!"

Dimitri and Rose both laughed heartily. "Come here, _malenkaya," _said Dimitri. Eagerly Marina went to him, and he lifted her and sat her on his knee. "Have you ever eaten fried ice cream before?"

Marina giggled. "Of course not! You can't fry ice cream! It would melt!"

"I promise you, there _is _a way to fry ice cream," Dimitri replied. "I'm going to take you to a place where it's served."

The restaurant he took them to was near the motel. The interior was lit by candles along the wall, providing a romantic atmosphere, and there were arched doorways. Paintings of palm trees and adobe houses hung on the wall, and a mariachi band played. Marina giggled at the men's wide sombreros. "Why are their hats so big, Mommy?"

"It's to keep the sun off their heads when they work outside," Rose told her.

"But they're inside now, so there isn't any sun!" She picked her taco up, and its fillings instantly fell to the plate. She looked annoyed for just a moment, then joined her parents in laughter.

The mariachi band was soon replaced by a lone crooner who was accompanied by a Spanish guitar. Ever so slightly he motioned to Marina and, when she approached him, picked her up and sat her on his knee. _"El amar es el cielo y la luz," _he sang to her.

"I wonder what that means," Rose mused.

"Love is the sky and the light," Dimitri told her.

"How did _you _know?"

"I was in Cuba for three years before I came to the United States. I helped with their space program."

"Cuba has a _space _program?" Rose laughed incredulously. "Well, next time I meet a Cuban astronaut, I'll tell him you said hello." She'd dated a Cuban-American boy briefly while in high school. The son of former sugar plantation owners who'd escaped on a raft, Raul's swarthy good looks had initially charmed Rose but had failed to sustain the relationship long enough for her to pick up any of his language or culture.

"Yes, they do. Or did. It's probably all but defunct now, of course." He stared forlornly at the tabletop. "I guess that makes you happy." He was unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. The penthouse, the limos...

"It doesn't make me one way or the other. Please, let's not get into that again. Not tonight."

Thankfully, Marina was suddenly there. "Can we have fried ice cream now?"

* * *

She loved it, quickly consuming two servings and part of a third before complaining of a tummy ache. She fell asleep on the way back to the motel, light brown ringlets against a plump cheek that bore a half smile, and her father carried her into the motel room and tucked her into bed, then turned to his new wife with a sparkle in his eyes."Let's finish what we started before."

They made love slowly and gently, each taking the time to ensure that the other was satisfied, almost as if eager to make up for their near disagreement in the restaurant. Afterwards they lay in one another's arms, talking softly. "I never told you about my parents, did I?" asked Dimitri.

"You said they were killed in a train wreck when you were twelve."

"I never told you the whole story." The train had been in transit from Leningrad to Moscow. Ivan Belikov, a government agent on assignment, had decided to make it a combined business trip/holiday and take his wife and their young son along with him. What Ivan hadn't realized was that the train's brakes were faulty. Manufactured from substandard parts during the Stalin years, when the only thing that mattered was that the quota was met, they'd failed at a most inopportune time.

Blood streaming from the gash in his forehead, young Dimitri recovered from his temporary stupor to gaze at the carnage. Bodies lay around him in all directions. He turned to the closest one, that of his mother. "Mama?" He shook her, but she didn't respond. Gently he turned her over, but he couldn't see her face. There was too much blood. "Mama!" He began to cry. _"Matushka..."_

Ivan's still form lay beside his wife's. "Papa?" Dimitri lightly touched his shoulder. "Papa!"

"They had to carry me screaming off the train," Dimitri told Rose. After months in a mental health facility for children and teens, he'd been released into the custody of his Aunt Irena, Ivan's sister-in-law. It had been many more months before the nightmares had finally ceased. Not quite thirty years later, the bodies of six dead CIA agents lay riddled with bullets in Ivan's office, but when Dimitri looked at them, all he could see was the bodies of his parents and all the others lying there so still and quiet.

At that moment, he simply had to hear Rose's voice. Nothing else mattered.

"The worst part of it is that the true reason for the crash was covered up for thirty years," Dimitri continued. "The official report stated that the cause was human error, and since the engineer was deceased himself, no charges of negligence could be filed. Thirty years, Roza."

"Just like you covered up the way Ivan really died," Rose said thoughtfully.

Dimitri nodded toward the sleeping child in the other bed. "Besides my cousin Mila, Marina's my only living blood relative."

"What about your Aunt Irena?"

"She's in a nursing home in St. Petersburg now. Her husband was my father's brother."

Rose thought about her own family, which she'd always considered to be small. Her older sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, were eleven and seven years older than herself, respectively. They still lived in southern Florida and only got in touch on holidays. In addition, she had several aunts, uncles and cousins on each side.

"That's really sad." Rose felt pensive. "Maybe you'll have more blood relatives some day."

"I hope so."


	13. Marina's Birthday Party

'Cole Porter star spotted in Acapulco restaurant with _this _man,' shouted the headline, which was accompanied by a fuzzy photograph of the three of them with a red arrow pointing to Dimitri. 'Newly discovered actress weds former enemy spy,' proclaimed a slightly smaller one on the opposite page. Rose sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not ashamed of what I used to be," said Dimitri. "But I don't want it to damage your career."

"And I'm not ashamed of you," Rose replied. "But I don't even remember seeing any photographers inside the restaurant. How did they get there?"

"They have their ways." Dimitri's voice was grim, and his words made Rose shudder.

For Marina's fifth birthday, Rose scheduled a party at an upscale touristy shop called the Purple Julia and invited half a dozen other little girls, mostly daughters of studio employees and support staff. One man who'd befriended Dimitri had been shocked when he'd learned of the Russian's true identity. "And here I thought you were just plain Dominic Belk," the man remarked as he arrived at the party with his daughter.

"For all intents and purposes, I _am _just plain Dominic Belk now," Dimitri replied.

"Aw, it's not so bad. At least you have a steady job and a family, and best of all, we don't have to worry about the bomb anymore. All we have to worry about now are those crazy Arabs and their weapons of mass destruction."

A gentle smile played at the corners of Dimitri's lips. "Were you really afraid we were going to blow you up?"

"I used to lie in bed all night worrying about it sometimes."

Dimitri laughed. "We had problems of our own to worry about."

"Your family must be so proud of you," a woman named Natalie said to Rose.

"My Dad died twelve years ago," Rose replied. "Neither he nor my Mom ever forgave me for running away to Broadway. My sisters just sent cards at Christmas like they always do and that's it."

"How sad," Natalie commented. Rose remembered the day her father had died. She'd been in rehearsal when the telephone call had come.

"You'd better get out here right away if you ever want to see Dad alive again." Rose had recognized the voice of her oldest sister, Rachel. "The doctor says he only has hours at the most."

Rose had caught the next flight to Florida. Entering the hospital's waiting room, she saw her mother sitting and sobbing her heart out while Rachel and Rebecca sat stonily with dazed expressions on their faces. With much trepidation, she approached the door of her father's room and pulled it open. She hadn't seen him in so long...

She almost didn't recognize him at first. The man who lay in the bed was only a shell of the hearty, vigorous man he'd been the last time she'd seen him. Frail and weak, he looked at her with eyes that seemed too big for his pale, drawn face.

"Dad? I'm here." She rushed to his side, hoping to see a glimmer of recognition in the dim eyes.

"Rose? My baby." He reached for her, and she took his hand.

"Yes." She felt the tears spill over and begin to flow down her cheeks.

"You came."

"Of course I did, Dad."

He coughed. "So you have finally come to your senses and abandoned all that nonsense."

"No, Dad. I'm still on Broadway. I was in rehearsal when Rachel called me."

Wordlessly his face turned to the wall.

"I love you, Dad. Please try to understand that I have to make my own way in the world."

It was no use. He refused to look at her again for the rest of her visit.

He passed away just before midnight that night.

"Well, at least you have Dimitri now." Natalie's voice brought her back to the present.

"Yes." Rose looked gratefully at her husband, who was discussing 'Red Dawn' and 'The Falcon And The Snowman' with his co-worker.

"How did you do it?" Natalie asked. "We were all scared to death of the Russians at the time. How did you manage to fall in love with one?"

"I honestly don't know," Rose replied. "Maybe it was the rebellious streak in me. The same one that made me run away to Broadway." She thought of Christian and Lissa, a long-time happy marriage between two high school sweethearts that had ultimately been unable to endure their increasingly polarized political stances. She wondered whether they'd ever be able to resolve their differences.

Now the little girls were making lip gloss. "Look, Mommy, I made strawberry," said Marina.

"Very good," Rose praised.

"When we get home, I'm gonna practice my ballerina moves," the little girl continued.

"That's a very good idea." Rose herself had longed to be allowed to take ballet as a child.

"Can Olivia come over and practice with me?"

"Sure, if that's OK with her parents."

The party disintegrated soon afterwards. Storm clouds loomed in the sky as Dimitri and Rose returned home. They hoped to make it there before the rain started, as neither of them had thought of taking umbrellas along.


	14. Flight To Montana

"Perfect weather for cuddling together and watching a movie," said Dimitri. Rose sat beside him on the sofa, her head resting on his chest, so that she could hear his heartbeat. A blanket was tucked in around both of them, and the Bolshoi Ballet was on the television. "Some day our Marina will dance for them."

"I always wanted to be a ballerina." The telephone rang and Rose groaned. "Oh, I don't want to answer it."

Dimitri picked up the receiver. "Yes?" Wordlessly he handed it to Rose.

"Rose!" She heard Lissa's excited voice. "Guess what! Justin spoke! He said Jacy's name!"

"Wow! Really?"

"She'd taken him for a walk around the mall in his wheelchair like she does every so often, you know, to try to jog his memory. They were in the CD store and she was showing him the newest CD's and talking about the different groups. They were leaving the store when it happened. She said he was kind of hard to understand but that she could definitely tell that he was trying to say her name."

"That's wonderful!" Rose exclaimed. "I'm so glad to hear it."

"How's Marina?"

"She's fine! We just had her birthday party earlier today." Rose told her about the party, and then they said good-bye to one another. "That was Lissa," she told Dimitri after hanging up the telephone. "She said that Justin said Jacy's name."

"That's nice."

"I should really go visit them again soon. It's been over a year now."

Dimitri didn't say anything.

"It's been almost six years, Dimitri. They don't blame you for what happened to Mason. They never have."

"I always admired him deep down inside, you know. I was at his funeral. I stood a far distance back because I was afraid I wouldn't have been welcome there."

"You did? But I didn't see you."

"I was too far away to really hear what you were singing."

"It was 'Amazing Grace'."

"Ah, yes." Rose knew, as did everyone, that it had been one of Ivan and Dimitri's men who'd ended the American militant's life. He'd been caught doing the wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dimitri hadn't condoned the killing, but neither had he done anything to prevent it.

"Anyway, why don't you come with me? You haven't even been to Montana since then, have you? We'll wait and go in the spring when it's warmer."

"Why don't you and Marina go together, just the two of you? It'll be a nice break from the pace of California. I don't think I'd be able to get away for that long. The studio's going to be pretty busy."

She knew that wasn't the real reason.

The day before they left, they stayed at Disneyland from dawn until dusk and later. Marina rode all her favorite rides two or three times each and ate hot dogs and popcorn and cotton candy until she had a tummy ache. At the end of the day, Dimitri carried the exhausted little girl home in his arms. That night was one of the most passionate they'd ever shared. Aware of the approaching separation, they each took their sweet time in lavishing pleasure on the other's body and, when they'd each experienced all the euphoria they could stand, fell asleep in one another's arms.

At the airport the following morning, Rose found saying good-bye to be unexpectedly difficult. "But why can't you come too, Papa?" The look in Marina's clear blue eyes made her mother's heart melt.

"Too much work to do here, _malenkaya. _Be a good girl and do everything your Mama tells you to, and we'll see each other again really soon." He held her as close as he could, reluctant to let go, feeling almost as if he were losing her a second time. Rose saw the pain in his eyes and felt so sad. _It doesn't have to be this way, you know._

**Six Years Previously  
**

She couldn't believe he was really gone. The great American hero who'd fought for the freedoms he believed in was gone forever, felled in his attempt to preserve them. As she and the others gathered together around the plain wooden casket, she felt an overwhelming sense of loss. Billy and Caleb had lost their father, and the country had lost one of its staunchest supporters and defenders.

They wanted her to sing. The words flowed from her lips like a healing balm over an open, gaping wound. "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me..."

Her eyes met those of Billy. A vision of her father lying in his hospital bed with his face turned to the wall flashed through her mind. _I'm so sorry. _Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. Could it really be him? Could he really have come, after all?

No, of course not. The idea was absolutely preposterous.

**Present Day**

Rose and Marina found their seats and sat down. Marina immediately began to examine the headphones, the radio controls and various other devices designed to make their trip a little less tedious. Rose listened for the stewardess' instructions and prepared for the lift off. At last she felt movement.

"Wow, Mommy! Look at all those people down there! They look just like ants, don't they?"

"They sure do!"

"This is just like when we went to Acapulco, isn't it? 'Cept Papa was with us that time." She looked as sad as Rose felt.

"Would you like for me to tell you about the very first time I ever rode on an airplane?"

Marina nodded.

"I was a lot older than you are now. I was already a teenager. My class at school took a trip to Washington, D.C. to see the Capitol and the White House, where the President lives. I was so excited!" Marina listened with rapt attention at first but soon became bored and turned to the coloring book and crayons Rose had bought her at the gift shop. Rose put on her headphones and leaned back, prepared for several hours of relaxation before she saw her friends again.


	15. Remembering

"Rose! It's been ages!" Lissa gave her friend a fierce hug. "And is this really Marina? Look how big she is now!"

Jacy and Seth were there too, and Justin in his wheelchair. Rose said hello to Jacy and Seth and asked how their father was doing. "He's fine," said Jacy. "We saw him over the holidays. He's trying to get a bill pushed through Congress that would increase benefits for disabled people in nursing homes." She looked at Justin, who seemed to be regarding Rose with curiosity.

"Hi, Justin." She knelt before his wheelchair. "Do you remember me? I'm Rose."

The young man's face flushed with effort as he struggled to speak. "R...R..."

Billy was there too, with Alberta. He was so much taller now that she barely recognized him. He'd been away at summer camp on a couple of her previous visits. She asked him where Caleb was, and he rolled his eyes. "With Mom, of course."

Since Ivan's death, Sonya Karp had become a bitter recluse, barricading herself and her younger son inside her mansion. Her political efforts had all but stopped, although Christian still consulted her on matters semi regularly. Neither of them had been in touch with Dimitri since Mason's death.

Shock registered on Billy's face when he saw Marina. "Is she my sister?"

Rose laughed disarmingly. "Oh, no. No, she's Dimitri's daughter." The light flirtation between Rose and Mason in the days leading up to his death had never escalated into anything more serious, although of course Billy wouldn't have known that. He'd been so young at the time.

Now the young man looked profoundly relieved. "And how have you been?" Rose asked him.

"Pretty good. Aunt Alberta's been taking care of me. I'm going in the army in a few months when I'm old enough."

"And what does your Mom think of that?"

"She tried to talk me out of it, of course." He sighed. "We don't really have much of a relationship."

"And what about Caleb?"

"I try to get her to let him come see me, but she won't. I really miss that guy."

"So has being famous gone to your head yet?" Lissa teased Rose as the two women walked toward the farm house.

"Of course not," Rose replied. They paused beside the barn, and she lightly ran her hand along its frame. "God, it's been so long since the last time I was here."

"Do you have any chickens?" asked Marina, breaking Rose's train of reminiscence.

"I sure do!" said Alberta. "Would you like to see them?"

"Oh, yes!"

Alberta led the little girl into the barn while Lissa took Rose's arm and led her the rest of the way to the house, where she pulled her into the living room. "Have a seat. God, we haven't really talked in ages."

"I know. Time just seems to slip away..."

Lissa went to the kitchen and returned with two steaming mugs of coffee, one of which she handed to Rose. "So, tell me about life in tinsel town."

"It's good. Very good." Rose smiled. "Although it does take some getting used to, living in the lap of luxury again. It reminds me a lot of what things were like with Dimitri in the beginning, except that of course this time _I'm _the star." Briefly she was swept back in time to the penthouse in Chicago, to the awe and wonder she'd felt when she'd first stepped across its entryway, the lavender aroma of the flowers combined with the leathery scent of the luxurious settees.

"That must be hard for him to take, a real blow to his masculine pride."

Rose was reminded of the time she'd watched 'A Star Is Born' during a Judy Garland movie marathon when she'd been in about her early twenties. While doing so, she'd imagined herself in the starring role."He's taking it better than a lot of guys would have, I guess. Plus he adores Marina. She's his only living blood relative besides his cousin Mila. So, how have things been for you? Have you met anyone?"

Lissa gave a sad sigh. "I haven't even been looking. I guess I'll just never completely stop loving Christian."

"Have you talked to him lately?"

Lissa shook her head. "The kids spent Christmas with him in Maryland. They tried to get me to go with them, but I just couldn't. I couldn't face him. Not after all this time." She looked as if she were about to cry. Rose gave her a hug.

"You know, I'll bet it wouldn't be nearly as hard as you think it would be."

"Perhaps not." Lissa sighed deeply. "I just can't help but feel that it's all just water under the bridge now."

* * *

A couple of days later, Rose and Lissa went to visit Mason's grave. As she stood looking down at the simple white cross, Rose was overwhelmed by a feeling of sadness that was in sharp contrast to the bright cheerfulness of the warm spring day. In her mind, she and Mason frolicked merrily in the fields, pretending to chase one another, stealing kisses behind the barn. At that time she'd had no idea that she was carrying another man's child inside her body. "I hope you've found peace at last," she whispered as she laid a nosegay of wildflowers at the foot of the cross.

Days turned to weeks, and Rose enjoyed becoming reacquainted with life in the country: the taste of fresh milk, the feel of tiny smooth pebbles underneath her feet as she waded in clear stream water, the brilliant colors of the sunrise in the early hours of the morning. Gradually she became aware that her body was also changing in familiar ways; her breasts become swollen and tender, the aroma of meat nauseated her, and it seemed that all she wanted to do was sleep. She knew what it was, of course; the symptoms were almost identical to the ones she'd experienced six years previously.

She realized that, however much she may be enjoying herself, she had to return to Dimitri as quickly as possible.


	16. Telling Dimitri

"We're all gonna miss you," Lissa said as she gave Rose a good-bye hug at the airport. "Are you sure you can't stay just a little while longer?"

Rose nodded. "Marina misses her Papa, and besides, I don't need the entertainment magazines gossiping about me any more than they already do, do I?"

"Of course not." Lissa laughed. "Well, you take care, and come again really soon, all right?" She watched as the actress and her daughter prepared to board the airplane.

Rose hadn't shared her secret with Lissa, nor with anyone else, for that matter. It was only right that Dimitri be first to know. She swore to herself that things would be different this time. This time Dimitri would be able to go to her doctor's appointments with her, to watch their child's movements on the ultrasound, to attend Lamaze classes and practice breathing exercises, to be there when she heard their child's first cry. She was determined to do everything right that she'd done wrong with Marina.

The first couple of hours of the flight were uneventful, but then the weather suddenly become unpredictable. "Unsafe weather conditions have forced us to make the decision to land," the stewardess announced. "As we may not be able to lift off again until tomorrow, it's recommended that all passengers check into a motel as soon as possible."

Rose groaned. She'd so looked forward to spending the night in Dimitri's arms, not alone except for Marina in some remote motel far from home. "This is fun, isn't it, Mommy?" Marina was clearly excited about the whole situation. "We're having a real adventure, just like in the movies!"

"Some adventure," Rose muttered. The wind blew the rain, which was coming down in sheets, right at them as they ran toward the taxi, and then again as they dashed from the taxi to the motel room. Safe and snug at last, Rose got Marina settled watching cartoons and called Dimitri. There was no answer. She tried again four or five times during the evening, the last time just before midnight, but still had no luck. Finally giving up, she went to bed, where she spent a sleepless night tossing and turning.

The following morning was bright and sunny, so the flight was on again. Rose wasn't able to think of anything else but her failure to reach her husband the previous night. Where had Dimitri been? Why had he been away from the telephone for so long? Had he been with another woman? That very thought sent a cold chill down her spine. She trusted Dimitri, but she also knew he was only human. By the time the airplane had landed, she was a bundle of nerves.

"Home again! Home again!" Totally unaffected by her mother's disquietude, Marina skipped merrily down the ramp and into her father's arms.

"Dimitri!" Rose's trudge livened to a sprint as soon as she saw him. He grinned as he held their daughter in one arm and extended the other to her. Gratefully she went into it, and he held her tight. "I tried to call you last night."

"Roger and I went out for a few beers. I'm sorry I missed you." For hours and hours? Rose wondered but didn't ask. "He and his wife have been having some problems. He needed someone to talk to," Dimitri continued, obviously having read the expression on her face.

"Can we go out for ice cream, Papa?" asked Marina.

"Well, I suppose we could, if Mama wants to."

"Fine with me," said Rose.

"Hurray!" Marina shouted. Dimitri took them to Dairy Queen, and Rose had a diet soda while her husband and daughter shared a banana split. "That's all you're gonna have, Mommy?" asked Marina.

"I need to be watching my weight," Rose replied. Dimitri gave her a questioning look but said nothing.

"So, tell me about the farm," he said to his daughter.

"They got horses and pigs and chickens!" Marina enthused. "I got to hold one of the baby chickens. It was real soft, Papa, just like cotton candy!"

Dimitri laughed. "So did you get to ride any horses?"

"Uh huh!" The little girl nodded emphatically. "Seth helped me climb up on the horse. He's really nice. He's a grown-up, well almost, anyway."

"Is that so." Dimitri's eyes held a faraway look. "Seth's Papa and I were once very good friends."

"You're not friends anymore, then?"

Dimitri shook his head. "We haven't seen one another in years. Not since before you were even born, Marinochka."

"Well, me and Olivia are _always _gonna be friends. I can't wait to tell her I'm back home now."

She sang 'Home on the Range' in the car all the way home. Dimitri was silent the entire drive. Rose didn't even have to ask to know he was thinking about Christian, missing the camaraderie the two men had once shared. When they got home, Marina ran into the house to call her friend while Rose went into the bedroom to unpack the suitcases. Dimitri followed her, giving her the same questioning look he'd given her in the ice cream parlor.

"I'm pregnant, Dimitri."


	17. Hand In Hand

Dimitri stared at her for a moment, and then a smile slowly began to spread across his face. "Really?" He laughed with joy and embraced her. "That's wonderful! How long have you known?"

"I've suspected it for a couple of weeks, but so far I haven't told anyone. I wanted you to be first to know."

"So when were you planning to go to the doctor?"

"I wanted you to come with me."

"Of course I will!"

"I don't think we should say anything about it to Marina until after we see the doctor."

Dimitri nodded. Rose glanced through the yellow pages. She didn't know any obstetricians in California. She decided to ask around amongst her actress friends. That evening she made tacos for dinner, and that night she cuddled in Dimitri's arms for the first time in weeks.

"It's so nice to be back in your arms again," she sighed.

He chuckled. "That's the part I like best about one of us going away." He began to fondle her. "I promise I'll be very gentle," he whispered as he entered her. Longing for his touch after such a long absence, she welcomed his embrace.

She ended up going to Dr. Gordon, who'd delivered two of Roger's three children. She held Dimitri's hand as the ultrasound technician, Lori, moved the wand over her abdomen. "Here's the...oh!" Lori exclaimed.

"What is it?" Rose was instantly alarmed.

"Do twins run in either of your families?" asked Lori. Rose and Dimitri looked at one another and shook their heads. Lori grinned. "Well, you're just about to break the mold."

Rose almost fell off the table in shock. "You mean I'm having _twins?"_

Lori nodded. "See? Here's one embryo...and here's the other."

"Are they both normal?"

"They look fine so far."

"How much longer before you can tell what they are?"

"Several more months."

Rose glanced at Dimitri, who didn't look surprised at all; instead, he looked slightly amused. "So we'll need two of everything...two cribs...two high chairs...two college funds..."

"You're not already worried about that, are you?"

He laughed. "Of course not! I think it's wonderful!"

"I can't wait to tell Marina!"

As soon as she got home, she called her mother and told her the news. Janine Hathaway reacted with neither pleasure nor displeasure. "Your health should be your utmost priority, Rose," she told her daughter. "Perhaps you shouldn't work any more at all until well past the delivery. Surely you have more than enough to live comfortably on until then."

"I'll take some time off." Rose knew that there would be no point in arguing with her mother. "There aren't very many roles available for pregnant actresses, anyway."

She and Dimitri told Marina together. "Your Mama has two babies growing inside her belly!" Dimitri exclaimed.

"Wow! So I'm gonna have two baby sisters!" The little girl's eyes danced with excitement.

"Or two baby brothers, or one of each," said Rose.

Marina skipped happily away. A few minutes later, she brought a drawing she'd made to show her parents. "This is for my new baby sisters or brothers or one of each," she announced. "Will you give it to them as soon as they're born?" The paper was covered with hearts that had been drawn and colored in with a red crayon. Marina's name was at the top.

"I certainly will, _lyubimaya." _Dimitri picked her up and kissed her cheek while Rose lightly rubbed her back.

Shortly afterwards, Rose was offered the role of an Amish woman with several small children whose husband had been seriously injured in an accident on the farm. Shooting would begin the following month and was expected to last at least several months. "It sounds perfect!" Rose told the casting director. "It's just that I'm pregnant, and by the time shooting was finished, I'd be showing."

"Hm. Let me talk it over with the producer. Perhaps your pregnancy could be written into the script."

Rose had almost forgotten about the incident when he called her again several days later. "Great news! The producer has given his OK for your pregnancy to be written into the script."

"I've been offered a part in a new movie!" she told Dimitri after she'd hung up.

"And what movie might that be?"

"It's called 'Hand In Hand.' It's about this woman named Sarah Mueller. Her husband's name is Jed, and they live on a farm in this old-fashioned community where they still have horses and wagons instead of cars. Jed gets his arms caught in a hay baler and can't work for a long time, and they've got three little kids to support, so Sarah has to churn butter and bake pies and make quilts to sell..."

"Sounds like a cheerful little tale." Dimitri chuckled.

"I think it's really sweet how much Jed and Sarah love each other and how devoted they are to their children," Rose retorted. "Anyway, shooting starts in a couple of weeks."

"Don't work too hard," said Dimitri. "You don't want to become overly exhausted."

"I won't."


	18. Christian's Dilemma

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to amputate," said the actor portraying the paramedic.

"Do it," replied the actor portraying Jed Mueller. "Just get me down from here."

Rose, as Jed's wife Sarah, watched in mock horror as the 'paramedic' swung the ax and heard 'Jed''s very genuine sounding screams of agony.

"Break!" said the director, and the stage hands began to remove the props in preparation for the next scene.

"Hey." Rose looked up and saw the young actor who portrayed her five-year-old son Jonathan in the movie. "It's funny. When we're at work, you're my Mommy, but when we're not at work, you're Marina's Mommy." He and Marina were playmates, and his mother and Rose were good friends.

Rose laughed. "That's right." She went to freshen up her make-up, and by the time she'd returned, the next scene was ready to be shot. 'Jed' lay in a hospital bed with the stumps of his arms heavily bandaged, and 'Sarah' sat beside him, trying her best to comfort him. "Do you need me to call the nurse and ask for more pain medication?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "I'm thinking about the farm, Sarah. How am I ever going to manage? Will I be able to provide for my family with artificial arms?"

"You're a strong man, Jed," 'Sarah' told him. "You can do anything you really want to do."

Rose finished the day's work and met Dimitri in the lobby of the studio, and they picked Marina up from child care and returned home. Rose could tell that there was something on her husband's mind but waited patiently until he was ready to talk about it. After dinner, they cuddled on the sofa watching television, as they normally did.

"Vasily Petrovich called me again today," Dimitri told Rose. Her head was in his lap, and he was stroking her hair. "He's still trying to talk me into returning to Moscow and joining the FSB."

"With your experience, you'd undoubtedly be offered a very high ranking and lucrative position." Ever since they'd resumed their relationship, Rose had wondered when her husband would tire of being simply 'Dominic Belk' and long for the glory and prestige he'd once enjoyed. It was a thought she tried desperately to push from her mind every time it came.

"But America is my home now. It's where my family is, and I'd certainly never ask you to give up the career for which you've worked so hard." What he didn't tell her was that he had another career path in mind, one that had nothing to do with either government offices or acting studios. He was only waiting to find out if his plan was feasible before telling anyone about it.

"They make movies in Russia, too."

"You don't speak a word of the language, my dear."

She smiled seductively. "You could teach me."

"The climate isn't nearly as pleasant as it is here."

"I could get used to it."

He laughed. "It sounds as if you're trying to talk me into it."

"It's just that I feel guilty sometimes."

"Whatever about?" He sounded surprised.

"About everything you're giving up because of me."

"For everything I've given up, I've gained so much in return. I wouldn't trade the life I have now with you and Marina for anything in the world."

She'd never felt more loved before in her life.

* * *

In Washington, D.C., Christian Ozera had a dilemma. A certain woodsy area of the county had been selected as the site for a summer camp for disadvantaged and impoverished children. He'd been on the verge of giving the go-ahead to the state agency who'd made the request when he'd received an urgent message from an environmentalist group who were concerned that the habitat of a certain endangered species of bird would be threatened by certain of the camp's proposed activities.

Christian rose from his desk and began to pace back and forth. What would Dimitri do if he was in his position? He hadn't spoken to his former mentor in so long that he couldn't even remember the last time.

But where was Dimitri now? Who would know how to get in touch with him? What about that former mistress of his, Rose Hathaway? The Cole Porter movie had brought her fame that had spread across the country. Christian had read the reviews for the movie himself. They'd lavished praise on the newly discovered actress. Was Rose still in touch with Dimitri? Christian remembered that around the time of Mason's assassination, she'd gone to Montana to show support for his cause. Lissa had been there, too.

Lissa. The very thought of her brought a searing pain to his heart. Even after everything they'd been through - the arguments, the conflicts, the stress - he'd never stopped loving her. Did she still have feelings for him as well? If he called her, how would she react?

He knew that he had to try. Drawing a deep breath, he summoned all the courage he could muster and made the call. The telephone rang four times, and he'd almost lost his nerve and hung up when the receiver was picked up and he heard Lissa's voice.

"Hello?"


	19. Conversations

"Lissa? It's Christian. I...I was wondering whether you could tell me how to reach Rose Hathaway."

"Rose? But...why?" She suspected that he wanted more from the actress than just an autograph. Had he developed a romantic interest in the other woman? Certainly he knew by now that she'd married Dimitri.

"I was hoping she could put me in touch with Dimitri."

Waves of relief washed over Lissa. "I'm sure she could. They're married now, you know."

"Oh yeah, that's right. They are, aren't they?" He felt as if the two of them had switched places; Dimitri was now the family man, Christian, the carefree bachelor. Make that the _lonely _carefree bachelor.

Lissa gave him the contact information for Rose and Dimitri. "Was that all you wanted?" she asked afterwards.

"Um...yeah, I guess so." He kicked himself mentally for being such a coward.

"OK, then." He'd heard the disappointment in her voice, but by then, she'd already hung up.

* * *

"Hello?" said Rose.

"Rose? This is Christian. Is Dimitri there?"

"Christian _Ozera__?" S_he almost dropped the receiver. "Ah, sure, just a sec." She handed the receiver to her husband while mouthing 'Christian Ozera'.

"Yes?" Dimitri was just as surprised as his wife had been.

"Dimitri? Christian here. Listen, man, I need your advice on an important issue." He explained the conflict between the state agency and the environmentalist group over the proposed camp ground.

Dimitri became elated as he listened to his former protege speak. It had been so very long since he'd been asked for political advice that he felt strongly nostalgic. In his mind, he was suddenly back in the penthouse suite again, speaking over his office telephone. "Allow the summer camp for the children," he told Christian. "Children, not endangered birds, are our future. Appropriate another area as a wildlife preservation specifically for this bird. The environmentalist group should be pleased enough not to withdraw their funding."

"I knew you'd have the solution. So, how's life treating you?"

"Actually quite well right now. The job's going all right, and Rose's movie is progressing nicely. Marinochka's still a little sweetheart, of course, and I'm to become a father again, of twins this time!" He laughed. "Can you imagine it, twins? How's life treating you?"

"About the same. I've been thinking I might visit Montana soon." The men made small talk about their jobs and various other subjects, then said good-bye and hung up. After speaking with Dimitri, Christian knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he'd definitely be flying to Montana soon. After speaking with Christian, Dimitri briefly entertained the idea of an attempted return to politics but then quickly nixed the idea.

* * *

"He's still your Daddy, just like before he got hurt," 'Sarah' said to her three-year-old on-screen daughter, 'Hannah,' who was staring with deep trepidation at her on-screen father's prosthetic arms. "He just has hooks now instead of arms, that's all." The little girl turned and ran away, sobbing heavily. 'Sarah' gave her on-screen husband a helpless look.

"I knew I was gonna scare her to death," 'Jed' muttered glumly.

"She'll get used to it. Just give her time."

_"I _still love you, Daddy," said 'Jonathan.'

"So does your sister," his on-screen mother told him. "She just has to get used to the way he looks now." In truth, Rose found the scene heartbreaking and looked forward to its end, and the actor portraying Jed apparently felt the same way.

"Whew!" he exclaimed when the screening session was over. He grinned at Rose. "Want to join me in the lounge? My treat."

Rose frowned. "I have to pick my daughter up from child care."

"OK. See you tomorrow, then." The actor, whose real name was Zane, gave a disappointed smile.

"You look a bit pale," Dimitri remarked when he met up with her that evening. "Do you feel all right?"

"I'm fine." No point in telling him she'd vomited her entire lunch a couple of hours ago. "Just had a long day." She yawned and rested her head on his shoulder as he held her tight.

That evening, she was relaxing with Dimitri and Marina when Lissa called. "Guess what? Christian's here!"

"Are you happy to see him?"

"Just between you and me, in spite of everything, I'm thrilled! He claims it's only a campaign visit, but he keeps making excuses to come see me, and it's not just issues involving the kids, either."

"Well, hopefully you'll be able to work out your differences, like Dimitri and I have."

"Hopefully. Fingers crossed."

"Let me know how it goes. Hey, how's the pregnancy coming along?"

"Fine, so far." She giggled. "Still trying to get used to the idea of having twins!"

"I'll bet!"

Rose heard the happiness in her friend's voice and hoped that Christian would stay in Montana for awhile.


	20. Reunited

"Dad!" Christian heard the urgency in his son's voice and immediately tensed. "One of the horses is loose!"

"Oh, no!" Christian groaned. "Which one?"

"Liberty!"

Christian knew that the brown stallion with white markings was Lissa's favorite, that she'd be heartbroken if anything happened to him. Without a second thought, he jumped into his car and took off. He drove all over the farm at about five miles an hour but didn't see a trace of the horse. Then he entered the highway going at about the same speed, looking diligently left and right. He knew that a horse the size of Liberty could run for many hours before tiring.

A large raindrop splattered onto his windshield, and within seconds, it was pouring. Even with the windshield wipers going at their highest speed, Christian could barely see. The thought of pulling over to wait until the deluge eased occurred to him, but he quickly rejected it. He couldn't rest until the horse was found.

Suddenly he saw a spot of brown in the distance. He couldn't tell for sure what it was, but it could be a horse. He pulled over to the side of the road and, wishing desperately that he had a raincoat or at least an umbrella with him, opened the door and got out.

Immediately he was soaked and, trying to ignore the raindrops that were hitting his skin like tiny needles, headed in the direction of the brown object. The closer he got to it, the more it looked like a horse.

"Liberty!" he shouted. "Liberty!" The stallion raised his head and calmly looked at the man. When Christian was close enough, he grabbed Liberty's bridle and began to walk with him in the direction of the farm.

Eventually the rain slowed to a drizzle, and Christian realized that he was still quite a way from home. His shoes made squishing noises with every step he took, and water dripped from his hair into his eyes, but he trudged on. At last he could see the farmhouse, and Lissa dashing out to meet him.

"Oh my God, you found him!" She threw herself at him and began to smother him with kisses. Together they led Liberty into the barn, where Christian ensured that he was more securely tethered this time, then headed for the house, where Lissa eagerly led Christian to her bedroom and began to strip him, tossing each article of soaked clothing to the floor with abandon. When he was completely naked, he began to undress her with shaking hands. When the last article of clothing had been shed, they tumbled onto the bed together, kissing passionately.

She gasped in pleasure as he entered her, and they began to move together in an act of long-denied need.

It wasn't until much later that he remembered his car, still parked beside the field in which he'd found Liberty. "Damn," he mumbled as he lifted himself from the bed. "Much as I'd love to stay and cuddle, I do need to go back for the car."

"Stay." She pulled him to her, nuzzling her face in his chest hairs.

He laughed. "I never could refuse you." He held her in his arms, inhaling her sweet scent. How had they ever let politics, of all things, come between them? She'd been so supportive of him at first, but then she'd started listening to Mason and his ideals...

_Mason. _It was really he, not politics, that had come between them. Just as it had always been Mason who'd come between them, ever since they'd been teenagers.

But Mason was dead and gone now, his influence over Lissa having been forever removed. Or had it been? Christian didn't want to think about that. He kissed the top of Lissa's head. "As much as I hate it, I really _do _need to go back for the car. I can't just leave it there."

She turned pleading eyes to him. "Be back soon."

The rain had stopped, but mud puddles were everywhere, and he had to watch his step to avoid them. At last he reached the car, got in, and drove back to the farm.

* * *

"Come back with me," Christian pleaded on the day he was to fly back to Washington, D.C. "You'd love the house. It's fit for a king. Plenty of room, and you could decorate it any way you want."

Lissa had to admit that it was a tempting offer. To live in a grand house, convenient to shopping malls and restaurants, to have Christian there in the evenings, to cuddle with him while watching television or listening to music, to take long, leisurely baths together after making love...

And yet, there was the farm. It had been her home for over five years now. Rising with the rooster's crow, fresh eggs for breakfast, long, leisurely strolls through the fields...how could she ever give all that up? "I'm sorry, Christian, but I just can't."

He sighed in resignation and pulled her close, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I'll miss you."

"We'll work something out. I promise."

As she stood watching his airplane lift into the air and then grow smaller and smaller, she felt as if her heart had just been ripped out.


	21. First Step

"So how did it go?" asked Rose.

"Wonderfully! What else can I say?" Lissa giggled like a crazy teenager. "As soon as I saw him again, those old feelings came right back. I was too stubborn to admit it at first, but then one day Liberty went missing - you remember Liberty - well, anyway, he went missing, and Christian went to look for him. While he was gone, it started pouring down rain. I figured he'd give up and come back home, but a long time after that, I looked out the window and here he came, soaked to the bone, leading Liberty by the bridle. As soon as I saw him, my heart just melted. He went and got himself all drenched just for the sake of my horse! I suppose you can guess what happened next!"

Rose giggled. "I have a pretty good idea."

"Well, anyway, when he finally had to go back home, it broke my heart to say good-bye to him. Now I know I have to go to Washington, D. C. soon. I don't even care about the politics anymore. I'm thinking maybe over the holidays..."

"Go for it, girl!" Rose was thrilled for her friend. Lissa's reconciliation with Christian so reminded her of her own with Dimitri. "Guess what, hon," she called to her husband in an adjoining room. A moment later, he and Marina appeared in the doorway. "christian and Lissa are together again!"

"Glad to hear it." Dimitri smiled and held his arms out to her, and she went into them. "So she's to become a card-carrying Democrat like yourself."

"I am _not!" _Playfully she swatted his behind.

"What's a Democrat, Papa?" asked Marina.

"The Democrats are the good guys," her father told her.

"Then who's the bad guys?"

"There aren't any bad guys," said Rose.

In August Marina started kindergarten. As Rose drove her to the large, ultra-modern building which housed a portion of the kindergartners of Hollywood, all she could think about was how different it was from the small beachfront building made of sun-baked wooden planks in which she'd attended kindergarten herself so many years ago.

Reaching the front door, she pulled it open and then walked down several long hallways until she got to Marina's classroom. She opened the door to the familiar aroma of blackboards and chalk dust and the sight of a slender blonde of about twenty-five who was sitting at a cluttered desk. The woman looked up when she entered. "Rose Hathaway! I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"Hathaway-Belikova." Rose smiled. "This is Marina."

"Hi, sweetheart."

"I'm an actress too, just like Mommy!"

Rose laughed. "She's in that commercial for Burgers Extraordinaire."

"Ah, yes! I've seen that. Well. it's an honor to have you in my class, Miss Marina, and I'm sure you've only just begun a brilliant career."

They'd almost made it back to the car when Rose heard the shutters clicking and knew they'd be in the pages of something the following weekend. She was glad she'd dressed Marina in one of her cutest outfits.

* * *

In Nebraska, Jacy cheered Justin on. "Come on, Justin! You can do it!"

After spending five years in a wheelchair, the young man's legs were stick-thin and wasted. Although a physical therapist had been working with him for weeks to strengthen the muscles in them, he had yet to take his first unassisted step. Now he stood grasping the parallel bars that had been installed inside the ranch house for his use.

He gritted his teeth and took a determined step, slowly let go of the bars, and took another, immediately slumping to the floor afterwards. "You did it, Justin! You did it!" Jacy squealed with joy as she ran to embrace the man she loved. "Hey, Mom! Justin just took his first step!" Jacy called to her mother as she helped Justin back to his feet. Lissa appeared a moment later, wiping her hands on her apron. Justin gave her a lopsided grin. "Come on! Show Mom!" Jacy urged.

Justin shook his head and gazed longingly at his wheelchair. "You're tired, aren't you." Jacy wheeled the chair around so that he could sit in it again, then looked at her mother. "He really did take a step on his own, Mom. I saw him."

"I believe you, sweetheart." Lissa wiped a tear from her eye.

* * *

Marina adjusted well to kindergarten and eagerly looked forward to it every morning. Work on Rose's new movie proceeded, and August passed smoothly into September, September into October. The weather grew cooler, and the leaves began to fall from the trees. One day, Dimitri and Rose made plans to take Marina shopping for a Halloween costume. Although feeling even more tired and weak than usual, Rose worked a full day. "You look exhausted, darling," Dimitri said when he met her after work.

"I'll be all right."

They picked Marina up from child care and headed home. "Let's just get take-out tonight," Dimitri suggested.

"Sounds great to me." Rose rested her head on his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her hair.

She picked at her dinner and then, accepting Dimitri's offer to do all the cleaning up, went to lie down on the sofa, where she promptly fell asleep. She awakened an hour or so later to find the apartment vacant except for herself and realized that, not wanting to disturb her, Dimitri had taken Marina shopping by himself. She could tell that she was lying in a pool of something wet and sticky and soon discovered that, to her horror, it was blood.


	22. Just In Case

The first thing she was aware of was the cool softness of the sheets. Then she opened her eyes to look up at a series of white squares and realized that she was lying on her back. "Roza?" She turned her head to look into a pair of worried brown eyes. Dimitri.

"What happened?" Her mouth was so dry that the words came out as a faint croak. Dimitri pressed a paper cup full of ice water to her lips, and she gratefully gulped it down.

"You had a condition known as abruptio placentae. Marinochka and I returned from the store to find you lying unconscious in a pool of blood. You were rushed to the hospital by ambulance, and an emergency Caesarian section was performed right away."

"The babies..." As she rubbed her hand over her flat belly, her eyes widened in alarm.

Dimitri smiled. "We have a new son and daughter."

"But it wasn't time..."

"They had to be delivered immediately, Roza. Otherwise you would have bled to death."

"How are they?"

"They're very tiny, but their conditions are stable, at least for now."

"When can I see them?"

"Just as soon as you're strong enough." Tenderly he brushed her hair back from her forehead. "Rest now, darling. You need to build your strength back up."

The next time she awakened, she heard feminine voices and became numbly conscious that Janine, Rachel, and Rebecca had arrived. Before her sat a tray of food. "You need to eat something, sweetheart. Here, I'll help you." Gently he arranged the pillows behind her back so that she could sit comfortably.

"You gave us quite a scare, young lady!" Janine exclaimed.

"Hi, Mom. Have you seen them yet?"

"I have, and they're the most darling little things you ever saw! But tiny, so very tiny..."

"Here you go." Dimitri brought a forkful of meatloaf to her lips, and she accepted it, noticing for the first time that she was ravenous.

"Where's Marina?" she asked when she could talk again.

"She's fine. Bonita's watching her."

"I want to call her." She missed her daughter so badly that tears came to her eyes.

"Of course, darling. Just as soon as you finish your dinner."

She ate all the meatloaf and mashed potatoes and green beans and most of the jello. Afterwards, she called Bonita and asked to speak to Marina. "Hi, Mommy!" the little girl chirped.

"Hi, sweetheart. How are you doing?"

"Fine! Bonita made cookies, and I helped her!"

"I'll bet they were really yummy! Did you know you have a new baby brother and sister?"

"Yeah, Papa told me already. I'm so glad you're OK now, Mommy. I saw all the blood and you wouldn't wake up and I got really scared."

"I know you did, sweetie, but I'm fine now." After the call had ended, Rose dozed again, and when she awakened, Dr. Gordon was there. "We need to get you up on your feet," he told her. "Otherwise you're at risk of developing blood clots in your legs."

Leaning heavily on her husband, she slowly stood halfway up, then collapsed in pain. "It feels like my belly's being ripped open!"

"I know it does, sweetheart." Dimitri held and comforted her. "But don't you want to see our new children?"

His words gave her the determination to try again, and this time, she stayed up. Slowly, dragging her IV pole along, she began the long trek to the NICU. At the sight of the two infants, her heart melted. Their diapers almost seemed to be swallowing them, tubes running into their noses were taped to their faces, and they were hooked up to monitors. Their skin was almost translucent, and both tiny heads were covered with very fine light brown hair.

"Meet your son, Viktor Dimitrovich Belikov." Dimitri gestured grandly. "And your daughter, Vanessa Dimitrovna Belikova."

"You remembered!" She smiled at her sole contribution to the babies' names, thinking of how she'd told her husband how much she liked the name 'Vanessa'. "Thanks!"

"Thank _you." _He kissed her cheek.

Suddenly she was crying, big tears rolling down her cheeks. "Oh, Dimitri, I'm so sorry..."

"Whatever for?" He was puzzled.

"I should have been able to carry them to term. Then they'd be healthy and strong..."

He embraced her and held her close. "It's not your fault, darling. It just happened. That's all."

* * *

She felt much better the following day. She was able to get around with minimal discomfort and visited with her mother and sisters, enjoying their tales of her nieces' and nephews' antics. Thankfully, not a single reporter or photographer showed up.

Although an avowed atheist, Dimitri insisted that a Russian Orthodox priest visit his new children. The man arrived in a black cassock and _skufia, _pewter cross around his neck. He prayed, sprinkling incense, chanting words Rose didn't understand, and making the sign of the cross on each tiny forehead. "Why, that was the most utter nonsense I've ever seen in my life!" nominal Methodist Janine spluttered after he'd left.

"Sh!" Rose glanced at her husband and was relieved to see that he'd apparently been oblivious to his mother-in-law's outburst, or at least pretended to be. She herself understood perfectly the logic behind the insistence upon the priest. It had been a just-in-case precaution, the same one that had led her to recite 'now I lay me down to sleep' every night until she'd been well into her teens.

Just in case there really _was _something or somebody up there, after all.


	23. Against the Grain

Having to leave her tiny newborns in the hospital while she herself went home was the most difficult thing Rose had ever had to do. On her way out, she stopped by the nursery to say good-bye. "Would you like to hold them?" offered the pediatric nurse on duty.

"You mean I can?"

"Of course!" The nurse lifted Viktor, clad only in his diaper, and gently placed him into his mother's arms. Rose held the warm little bundle as close as she could. "Let him listen to your heartbeat," the nurse suggested. "That's the most comforting sound in the world to him."

Rose touched the tiny balled fist, marveling at its velvety softness. "I love you so very much, little one," she whispered as she kissed the tiny hand. A few minutes later, she handed Viktor back to the nurse so that she could hold his sister. "I love you, my sweet Vanessa." Her eyes moistened with tears.

As Dimitri pushed her to the parking lot in a wheelchair, she wondered whether she'd ever see the twins alive again.

"Are you all right?" Dimitri asked as he helped her into the car.

She sighed. "Not really. You?"

He didn't respond, and she knew he was putting up his brave front again. Donning large black shades in hopes of not being recognized, she waited while Dimitri drove through a fast food drive-through window to get their lunch and then home. He entered the large circular driveway and parked the car in the usual spot.

Many of their friends wondered why they didn't hire a chauffeur. Rose patiently explained over and over that Dimitri enjoyed driving himself, knowing full well that the real reason was that he was acutely embarrassed that he wouldn't be the one providing the luxury.

As they entered the house, Marina bounded toward them and threw herself into her father's arms while Rose looked on with a slight frown, a bit hurt that Marina seemed to prefer Dimitri to herself. "Where's my new baby brother and sister?" the little girl asked.

"They have to stay in the hospital a little bit longer," Dimitri told her. "They're very tiny now, so they have to wait until they're a bit bigger to come home."

"Are they as little as Polly Pocket?"

Dimitri laughed. "Not quite _that _tiny, but much smaller than you were when you were born."

"She's a real Daddy's girl, all right," laughed Rachel.

"Where's Rebecca?" Rose asked her sister.

Rachel shrugged. "Oh, she's having one of her mood swings again."

That her second-oldest sister was envious of her career success was no secret to Rose. Rebecca had always wanted to be an actress herself but had lacked the bravery to run away in pursuit of her dreams as Rose had done. Shy, retiring Rachel had always been content to stay out of the lime light and now worked as a physical therapist.

Dimitri had bought hamburgers and french fries for everyone, but Janine and Rachel politely declined, saying that they'd already eaten. Marina dug right into her kiddie meal, searching for the prize. When she finally found it, she frowned. "I wanted a pink one. Didn't they have a pink one, Papa?"

"Tell you what," said Dimitri. "After lunch, we'll go shopping and I'll buy you a pink one. How's that?"

"Yay!" cheered Marina.

"He really spoils her, doesn't he?" Janine remarked after father and daughter had departed for their shopping expedition.

"He missed the first five years of her life," Rose explained. "He tries to make up for it whenever he can."

"How did the two of you ever get together in the first place, anyway?" Janine continued."With all the American men falling all over each other to get to you, why'd you have to go and choose some foreigner? Especially one of _them. _Besides, he's much too old for you, anyway."

"I love him, Mom," said Rose. The twelve-year age difference between herself and Dimitri had never been an issue for her at all. "And in case you haven't heard the news, the Cold War is over now."

"That don't matter none," Janine retorted. "But you always did want to go against the grain, didn't you? Just like running away to Broadway all those years ago."

"I don't hear you complaining about having a nice place to stay while you're here," Rose pointed out.

"No thanks to him," Janine replied.

"Well, whether you like it or not, he's your son-in-law, so you might as well get used to it."

"He seems like a perfect gentleman to me." Rachel had always tried to play the role of peacemaker.

"Appearances can be deceiving," Janine countered.

"Well, if you don't want to stay in our home, you're always welcome to go to a motel," said Rose. Janine glared at her but didn't say anything. Rose knew that her mother was just grumbling to hear herself talk and that she'd never choose a motel room over the Belikovs' lovely home.

Dimitri and Marina returned about half an hour later, the latter proudly bearing a big full of toys. "Want to see what Papa got me, Grandma?"

"Of course, darling." Janine beamed as she held her arms out to her granddaughter, and Marina ran into them.

* * *

The next few weeks passed in a blur for Rose. She spent many hours visiting the twins in the hospital, holding them and talking and singing to them, and between visits, she spent as much time with Dimitri and Marina as she could, taking part in Marina's kindergarten events and even going on a couple of dinner dates with Dimitri in quiet, out-of-the-way little restaurants where they'd probably be less likely to be recognized.

The inevitable magazine articles began to appear, the first of them before the twins were even a week old. 'Actress Rushed to Local Hospital with Obstetrical Emergency: Can Her Twins Be Saved?' Even so, Rose marveled at the lack of reporters and photographers during her hospital stay and mentioned this to her husband.

"They showed up, but I wouldn't allow them near you," Dimitri told her.

She gave him a grateful hug. "You're wonderful!"


	24. Seasonal Joy and Angst

Thanksgiving arrived, and Viktor and Vanessa were still in the hospital. Unwilling to fly to her mother's home in Florida and leave them behind, Rose enjoyed a quiet but peaceful day at home with Dimitri and Marina. They watched the parades on the television in the morning and Rose cooked a turkey with all the trimmings. She could have easily afforded a cook, but she wanted to prepare her family's meal herself, as her own mother had always done.

"In school we learned about the pilgrims and the Indians," Marina announced as her father carved the turkey. "Why do Indians wear feathers in their hair, Papa?"

"Because..." Dimitri glanced at his wife.

"It's to look pretty, just like when you wear ribbons in _your _hair sometimes." Rose wasn't sure herself.

"But boy Indians wear them too."

"Well, that's the difference between Indians and white people...I guess."

"Are there Indians in Russia, Papa?"

"I don't think so." Dimitri frowned with concentration as he served the meat.

"But they _do _have Thanksgiving, don't they?"

"Ah, no, they don't." He smiled at his daughter. "It's a whole different world over there, Marinochka."

Marina contemplated her father's words as she dug into her food. "I'm glad I'm in America, cause I really like Thanksgiving!"

"Russia's a beautiful country. You'd love it over there."

"It's pretty cold this time of year, though." Rose grinned at her husband, and he scowled but then grinned back and swatted her behind.

"Viktor and Vanessa can eat turkey with us next year, huh, Mommy?"

"I hope so, sweetie."

* * *

"So how was your Thanksgiving?" asked Christian.

"Pretty much like it is every year," Lissa replied. "Alethia killed the turkey herself. I don't know how she does it. I never could. We cooked it up with some vegetables and pies and prepared a feast for everybody. You know what the best part of it all was? Justin seemed alert and and aware of everything that was going on. He couldn't help, of course, but his eyes seemed to follow our every move."

Christian cleared his throat. "I'm glad he's doing better. I know how much that means to Jacy."

"How was your Thanksgiving, dear?"

"Very, very lonely." Christian chuckled, relieved for the change of subject. "I stayed at the office extra late the day before just so the weekend wouldn't seem quite as long. Can't wait till you guys come next month, babe. I keep going over and over in my head all the things I want to show you."

"That's not nearly as important as being together as a family again." The thought of seeing her estranged husband again was the single thing that appealed to her about trading the peace and quiet of the farm for the hustle and bustle of the Washington, D.C. area.

"I know, sweetie." The image of her face in his mind made him ache with longing deep inside. "So how are you and the kids handling all that cold out there?"

"We're used to it, Christian. We're managing." Inside her bulky sweater, she shivered.

"Well, I've got a nice warm fireplace we can snuggle up in front of. Listen, babe, you take care, and I'll see you again real soon. Give the kids my love."

"Will do. I love you, Christian."

"Love you too. Bye, now."

As Lissa hung up the telephone, an image of herself and Christian cuddling in front of a crackling fireplace came to mind and made her smile.

* * *

Tinsel framed the doorway and 'Joy to the World' played over the hospital intercom, but Dimitri and Rose didn't even notice as they headed for the nursery. The NICU nurse, a friendly brunette named Dierdre, recognized them and smiled. "Viktor gained two more ounces!"

"What about Vanessa?" Rose reached the incubator that held her tiny son and reached in for him. She saw that he was awake and gazing at her with calm interest.

"She's still holding her own."

Dimitri greeted his new daughter in Russian as he lifted her ever so gently. A few ounces smaller than her brother, she turned toward her father when she heard his voice. He held her and kissed her tiny cheek as Rose cuddled her brother. A few minutes later, Rose took Vanessa and Dimitri took Viktor. They visited with the babies for as long as possible, then went to the cafeteria for lunch.

"To me they both look just a little bigger," Rose remarked. "Although that may only be wishful thinking on my part."

"They're definitely bigger," Dimitri replied, but his voice didn't convince her that he really meant it. She put her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hands as Dimitri looked on in despair.

Neither of them were very hungry.

* * *

"I'm really glad you came with us this time, Mom," Seth said to his mother as they exited the airplane.

"So am I," Jacy echoed. "The one thing that would make this absolutely perfect would be if Justin were here too."

Lissa frowned, her eyes searching the crowd for Christian's dark hair. "Ah, there he is!"

Christian saw her at the same time. His face shone with joy as he held his arms out to her, and seconds later, she was in them. He squeezed her around the middle, lifting her feet a few inches off the ground. Then he sat her back down and gazed into her eyes. "God, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too." She rested her head on his shoulder, and for just a few seconds, the rest of the world seemed to disappear.


	25. Just Like Old Times

Five minutes later, they were in Christian's Cadillac , headed for his home. "Ugh," Lissa groaned as he narrowly avoided a Toyota that cut in front of him. "I forgot what traffic was like here."

"I'm used to it." Christian knew that he didn't dare take his eyes off the road, not even for a split second. After several more near misses, they finally reached the driveway in front of his home.

"Wow." Lissa gazed up at the magnificent building in awe. It was white with six pillars and verandas on both the upper and lower levels, and the eight windows in front had black shutters. In comparison to its splendor, the farmhouse paled in comparison so badly that it was laughable.

_Could all this truly be mine? _The words hit Lissa like a blow to the stomach. The sharpness of the wind caused her to gasp as she emerged from her side of the car. She felt Christian's arm encircle her waist. "So, what do you think?"

"Oh, Christian..." There were just no words.

Spots of bare earth peeked up through remnants of a light snow that still lay upon the ground, giving it a marbled appearance. "Think we'll have a white Christmas this year, Dad?" asked Seth.

"Maybe," Christian replied. Lissa thought of Montana at Christmastime, of flying flurries of snow, power outages, businesses closed, blue fingers and toes. She shivered involuntarily. "Are you all right, hon?' asked Christian.

"Yeah." She and the children entered the house, and she was once again amazed. Two red sofas bordered a round wooden table upon which sat an elaborate flower arrangement. Right above it was a golden chandelier which held six candles. The floor was made up of alternating black and white tiles, and a staircase on each side ran up to the second floor.

"Oh!" Lissa gasped.

"So, what do you think of my fancy digs?" Christian teased.

"Well, to be honest, I was expecting something a bit cozier..."

"This is only the entrance," Christian told her. "This house contains a total of twenty-five rooms, one of which is that cozy little den I told you about."

"Want to see my favorite room?" asked Jacy.

"Sure!"

Jacy led her mother to a room that was decorated in the style of a fifties malt shop, complete with soda fountain and jukebox. Jacy mashed a button on the jukebox, and 'Teddy Bear' by Elvis Presley began to play. Jacy began to do the jitterbug. "Come on, Mom!" She took her mother by the hand and pulled her into the room, and Lissa laughed and joined her.

'Teddy Bear' ended, and Jacy played 'Rock Around the Clock' by Bill Haley and the Comets next. The song was about halfway finished when Lissa saw that Christian and Seth were watching them and Christian was laughing. She froze.

"Go on," Christian encouraged her. "I was enjoying that."

"I feel so silly," she replied.

"Want to see _my _favorite room?" asked Seth.

It turned out to be a game room filled with pinball machines and video games. Lissa stood with Christian and Jacy watching him play for awhile, and then Christian took her on a tour of the rest of the house, ending in the main entrance where they'd started. "Ready to go shopping for our Christmas tree?" he asked. "I always wait until the kids get here to buy it."

"Sounds like a plan, if you're ready to brave the traffic again so soon," she replied.

Christian laughed. "Like I said before, I'm used to it."

As they drove to a nearby lot, a feeling of euphoria settled over Lissa, a sense of having been swept back in time fifteen years to when Jacy and Seth had been little. "This feels just like old times," she told Christian.

"It does to me, too," he replied, giving her hand a quick squeeze. It didn't take long at all to find a tree they all liked, and Christian bought it and they took it home. Lissa felt her excitement mounting. She hadn't helped Christian and the kids decorate a tree in six years and looked forward to resuming the tradition.

Christian and the kids raced to the closet in which the Christmas decorations were kept and returned lugging boxes with shiny objects spilling out of them. Christian popped a CD of Christmas music into the CD player, and everyone sung along as they decorated the tree. When it was finished, they all stood back to admire its beauty. "I think we did a great job, don't you?" asked Christian. Everyone agreed.

Christian took his family out to a Western-style restaurant for dinner, and later, he invited Lissa to take a bath with him. She was awed all over again when she saw the bathroom. Dimly lit by a gentle golden light, it was dominated by a large, circular tub that was surrounded by small candle holders holding candles. In one corner, a small round table held a vase with several artificial shoots. A low table opposite it held a couple of perfume bottles, and beside it was a large, padded brown chair made of wicker. On the other side of the chair, two stands of varying heights held fat candles. Lissa gasped, causing Christian to laugh. He began to run the water, then commenced undressing. Lissa followed his lead.

By the time they were both completely naked, the tub was nearly full. Christian turned off the water, then took Lissa's hand and helped her into it. She sat down and leaned against the side, closing her eyes and luxuriating in the enveloping warmth. "How's the water?" asked Christian. "Warm enough? Too warm?"

"It's perfect." She sighed a deep sigh of contentment. "I can literally feel every ounce of tension in my body just melting away."

"Maybe this will help even more." Lissa felt a softness on her shoulder and realized that Christian was massaging her shoulder with a sponge. Taking their time, they took turns washing one another's bodies with sponges. When Christian gave Lissa an open-mouthed kiss, tenderness gave way to passion, and they hurriedly dried themselves and moved to the adjoining master bedroom, where they fell onto the bed and made love with abandon.


	26. All I Want For Christmas

Lissa awakened to find herself alone in Christian's large bed with the fluffy comforters that made her feel as if she were floating on clouds. She felt so cozy and snug that she wanted to just keep lying there, but she was curious about where Christian had gone. She didn't have to wonder for very long, as he soon appeared carrying a tray laden down with scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, syrup, and two steaming mugs of coffee.

"I thought you might like breakfast in bed." He sat the tray down, and as the delicious aromas wafted toward her nose, she realized that she was starving.

"I don't know what to eat first!" Her eyes went wide with wonder as she surveyed the dazzling array of mouth-watering dishes he'd prepared.

He picked up a strawberry and brought it to her lips, and she closed her eyes as her lips sank into its luscious flesh. "Christian, I...I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll stay." His voice was soft but urgent as he gazed into her eyes. "This is where you belong, Lissa. After all our years of struggle, at last I can provide you with the lifestyle you deserve." He shook his head. "You're no Laura Ingalls Wilder, babe. You've been there on that farm with the Ashfords, or what's left of them, rather, for six years now, and that's not where you belong." He leaned closer to her. "You and the kids belong here with me, Lissa. Deep down inside, you know it's true."

Lissa shook her head. "I love you, Christian. I never stopped loving you. But I just...can't. I'd feel like I was selling my soul to the devil."

Christian frowned. "I don't understand."

She sighed. "I think you _do _understand, Christian. You just don't want to admit it to yourself. You call yourself a Democrat, but what you really are is a Socialist. You want to create this world where everything is exactly equal and everybody gets the same thing, no matter what. What about American individualism? What about the values Mason died for? What about working hard to take care of your family and getting to keep what you earn, instead of having it taken away from you and distributed equally to everyone else?"

"Mason." Christian's mouth was a tight line of anger. "I should have known it would come down to him. Six years in the grave, and he's still coming between us."

"It's not just Mason. Stop trying to change the subject." Lissa was near tears.

"Look, babe, I'm sorry." He never could stand to see her cry. "I know I sound like a jealous, insecure teenager sometimes, but it's only because I want back what we used to have so much. How did it come to this, Lissa? We were always so close before."

"I'm sorry." She moved the food around on the plate with her fork, not so hungry anymore now. "You tried to make everything perfect for me, and I went and loused it up just like an ungrateful bitch."

"Oh, no, sweetie. Come here." He reached for her, and she let him hold her. His fingers brushed the hair back from her face, and his voice was soothing. "We aren't even a full day into our vacation. Let's just forget I said anything and enjoy the rest of our time together."

Somebody knocked on the door. "Who's there?" asked Christian.

"It's me, Dad. Is everything OK in there?" It was Jacy.

"Everything's fine, sweetheart. We'll be out in a minute," Lissa replied.

* * *

"Olivia told Santa she wanted a pony for Christmas," said Marina. She and her parents were in line to see Santa at the mall. Rose was wearing her ubiquitous dark glasses and a wig, and so far they'd been lucky. "I'm gonna tell him I just want my baby brother and sister to come home for Christmas."

"That's very sweet of you, darling," Rose replied. "But you know what the doctor said."

"I know." Marina sighed. "I just wish I could play with them sometimes."

"I'm sure there will be plenty of time for that someday." Dimitri's tone was light, but he and Rose exchanged a worried look.

Marina was next. Rose and Dimitri talked together as she chatted with Santa. "I can't even imagine not having Christmas," said Rose. "Sometimes I feel so sorry for you, growing up in the Soviet Union."

Dimitri frowned. "There's no need to. You can't miss something you've never had." He grinned. "Did Ded Moroz ever come to visit you on New Year's Day?"

"I've never even heard of him!"

"In English, his name would be Grandfather Frost. He and his granddaughter Snegurochka always brought presents and put them under the tree on New Year's Eve. I used to sit up to meet them but always fell asleep before they got there."

"That reminds me of sitting up to meet Santa." Rose laughed. "So did you leave milk and cookies out for them?"

Dimitri was puzzled. "No."

"I'll bet you didn't have carolers either, did you?"

"Carolers?"

"For me, Christmas just wouldn't be the same without songs like 'Silent Night' and 'Deck the Halls'."

"Oh, no. There was never anything like that."

Rose was about to ask whether he ever regretted that, but then Marina skipped back to them. "I told him that I really want my baby brother and sister to come home for Christmas, but if they can't, let Mommy's next movie win an Oscar."

"You're such a sweet girl." Rose kissed the top of her daughter's head.

"Did he ask for her autograph?" asked Dimitri.

Marina shook her head. "No, Papa." She took each parent by the hand, and they walked away.


	27. Fine With Me

Marina was up bright and early Christmas morning, long before her parents. She ran to the living room, where she saw many presents beneath the tree and, best of all, a pink bicycle with training wheels. Bursting with excitement, the little girl ran to her parents' bedroom door and banged on it. "Mommy! Papa! Come see what Santa brought me!"

Dimitri groaned as he rolled over in bed and nudged his wife. "Hon?"

"I know." Rose yawned and stretched in the luxurious bed. "I hear her."

A gentle smile appeared on Dimitri's face. "Mustn't keep Santa waiting." They both laughed as they untangled their bodies from the twisted sheets and ascertained that they were both decent before Dimitri opened the door.

"Come see what Santa brought me!" Marina grabbed her father's index finger and tugged him along as she skipped into the living room.

"Wow, looks like Santa's been busy!" Rose exclaimed as her eyes swept over the festive scene. Marina ran to the bicycle first, then moved to the nearest wrapped gift. "I was waiting for you to watch me unwrap the rest," she told her parents.

"That's a good girl," said Rose.

The little girl glanced at the tag on the present she was holding. "This one says...Marina!" She ripped the wrapping off and squealed with joy when she saw the miniature baking set inside. She moved on to the next present. "And this one says...V...a..."

"Vanessa," said Rose.

"That's right! We have two new stockings this year." She pranced to the fireplace, where the five stockings, two large and three small, were hung. "Papa...Mommy...Marina...Viktor...and Vanessa!" She frowned. "But Viktor and Vanessa can't open their presents yet 'cause they're still in the hospital!"

"We'll give them their presents when they come home." Rose's voice was gentle, quiet.

"Let's see what this one is." Dimitri moved to a spot behind the tree which wasn't visible to his young daughter and retrieved a small box. Rose gave a knowing smile. Marina watched as he walked over to her mother and handed the box to her.

"Oh!" Rose exclaimed after she'd opened it. Inside was a silver necklace with three charms: one oval and two triangles. All three had a head, arms, and legs. The oval was a tourmaline, and one oval was also a tourmaline, while the other was a garnet.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed as she hugged her husband's neck.

"You're very welcome, darling." His voice was tender as he hugged her back.

* * *

"You don't have to go back right away, do you?" Christian asked Lissa. "Couldn't you stay just one extra week...or maybe two?"

Lissa was torn. "Alethia's expecting me...she's used to my being there to help with the animals...and Jacy being there for Justin..."

"The Ashfords can well take care of their own. They're the proudest, most independent family I've ever known." He kissed her nose. "Stay, Lissa. The house is just going to feel so empty when you're gone."

She leaned her forehead against his. "I suppose I could put off leaving for a few days. Alethia will understand. I'll call her right now."

Seth was preparing to return to college for his final term, and Jacy was packing for Montana, when Lissa told her children of her decision. "That's great that you want to stay with Dad, but we'll miss you," Jacy told her mother. "Justin will miss you."

As poor as Lissa suspected the prognosis was for the brain damaged young man, she realized how strong her daughter's love for him was and how futile any attempt to get her to stay in the Washington, D.C. area would be. "Justin will be fine. He'll be surrounded by people who love him."

_"I'll _miss you," Jacy admitted.

"And I'll miss you too, but you're all grown up now, and you have to do what's best for yourself."

"I know." Jacy hugged her mother and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweetie."

Lissa and Christian went together to see both children off at the airport. After waving good-bye, she turned to her husband. "I just realized something."

"What?"

"This is the first time we've been alone together in over six years."

"That's right." Christian grinned and tucked her hand under his arm. "And I think we should make the most of it."

Her eyes twinkled. "And just how do you propose to do that?"

"Well, first of all, I'm going to take you out for the nicest dinner you've ever had in your life, and then, you and I are going to dance the night away."

"At this rate, I may never want to go back to Montana!"

"That would be fine with me."


	28. A Time For Renewal

The twins came home from the hospital a week after Marina's sixth birthday. The paparazzi were there with their cameras, of course, as an ordinary-looking black sedan driven by one of Rose's studio friends pulled up to the hospital, and Rose and Dimitri emerged. Both sported dark sunglasses, and Rose wore a wig as well. They arrived at the nursery using alternative routes and fifteen minutes apart.

"She looks as if a single touch would shatter her into a million pieces." Three-month-old Vanessa was only the size of a typical newborn, and her head still seemed much too large for her body as it lolled on her tiny neck.

"Preemies are tougher than they look," the nurse assured Rose. The anxious mother carefully took the infant into her hands and settled her into the much-too-large car seat. When she had Vanessa's head arranged just right, she crept to the previously arranged meeting place, where Dimitri waited with Viktor.

Anger surged through her as flash bulbs temporarily blinded her right before she slipped into the car and it sped away. Couldn't they leave her alone for just five minutes? Yet, hadn't this been what she'd wanted?

They'd hardly entered the house when Marina rushed up to them, followed by Bonita. "They're home! They're home!" she cried as she danced around her parents. "Hi, Viktor! I'm your big sister, Marina," she told her brother as Dimitri and Rose both laughed at her enthusiasm. "Hi, Vanessa!" she said to her sister. "I was five when you were born, but I'm six now!"

Dimitri and Rose carried the babies into the nursery, which contained two white cribs, one with a mattress with a pink sheet and one with a mattress with a blue sheet. The walls were painted pastel green and decorated with clowns and circus animals. When the twins had been tucked into their cribs, Rose rested her head on Dimitri's chest as his arm encircled her waist.

"It's _so _good to finally have them home," she sighed.

"Are you all right? Do you need a nap?" he asked.

"I'm fine." She yawned. He laughed.

She hardly got any sleep at all that night, as she rushed to the nursery at least half a dozen times to make sure the babies were still breathing. To her surprise, Dimitri helped with the two o'clock feedings. "You're a completely different man from the one I met seven years ago," she remarked, thinking of the many times she'd needed him and he hadn't been there for her. His career had come first. Every single time.

"My fall from glory precipitated a rearrangement of priorities." He laughed. "Perhaps it should have come earlier." Now he was pensive. "Then I wouldn't have missed so much of Marinochka's life."

"I think you've more than made it up to her, and you're here for her now. That's all that matters."

"I'll always be here for these two precious ones as well."

She felt a rush of love as she smiled at him. _Miracles **do **still happen, after all._

Life at home with the twins was rough for the first few weeks. Fear like ice water flowed through Rose's veins every time one of her new children so much as sneezed. Marina became a miniature second 'mother' to her new siblings, fetching fresh diapers and wipes whenever asked and referring to them as 'her' babies. Content to remain home with her children for the time being, Rose refused all telephone calls from studios and agents, and they gradually became fewer and farther between. Dimitri still went to work at the studio every week day, and his income combined with Rose's royalties were more than adequate to cover the bills for the foreseeable future.

"I never imagined that I could be this happy," he said to Rose as they cuddled together on the sofa one Friday evening.

"My dream of seeing my name in lights was the most important thing to me ten years ago," Rose replied. "I always just kind of assumed that I would marry a local boy and have kids some day, but I never gave it much thought."

"I never thought of getting married at all," said Dimitri. "All I wanted to do was serve my country and defend its values. I'd been led to believe that America was a land full of greedy Capitalists who cared about nothing but increasing their wealth and decadence. When I got here, it wasn't at all what I'd expected."

"I'll bet." Rose laughed and cuddled closer to him, thankful that the fear and mistrust she'd been raised to harbor against her husband's native country had ended up being all for naught.

* * *

"It's going to be really gorgeous here in the summer." Lissa and Christian walked hand in hand in the area of the woods where land was being cleared for Christian's summer camp for disadvantaged children. A few feet away, the environmental group marched and chanted as they waved their signs. "This is the perfect place for your summer camp, Christian."

The date she'd planned to return to Montana had come and gone, and she'd had most of her belongings shipped to Christian's home weeks ago. Christian leaned against a tree to enjoy the breeze blowing on his face.

A little girl of about six ran up to them. Lissa ruffled her hair. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Melody. My Mommy says I can come here when the new camp gets built. She and my Daddy are gonna work here."

"We have our homes, let the birds have theirs!" somebody yelled.

"That's great!" Lissa exclaimed right before Melody skipped off to play.

"It's a great time for new beginnings, and also for renewals," Christian remarked.

"What do you mean?" Lissa felt her heart pounding fast and hard.

Christian knelt to one knee. "Lissa Ozera, will you marry me...again?"


	29. Second Life

"Oh, Christian!" Joy coursed through Lissa's veins. Then the smile vanished from her face. "But what about..." Her eyes drifted toward Melody, who was happily at play with a group of friends. Would the little girl grow up in a world of freedom, one in which her talents and hard work would bring rewards?

Christian frowned. "What about what?"

She sighed. "What about the differences in our values? Ever since you met Dimitri Belikov, yours have been drifting further and further away from the ones we were both raised to cherish. That was why we split up in the first place. Don't you even remember?"

"I owe Dimitri a lot. If not for him, my political career would never have gotten off the ground."

"And just look where he is now, what ultimately became of his ambitions."

"I give the people what they want, Lissa. That's why I still have my position." He nodded toward the protesters. "They're doing exactly what they want to do, and nobody's harassing them." An image of Mason Ashford's grave flashed through his mind. "Things were really good for us for a long time. They can be good again, if you'll just give them a chance."

She blinked. "I love you, Christian. But...I'm scared."

"Of what?" His voice was soft as he pulled her into his arms.

"Well...of the past repeating itself."

"But it _won't, _Lissa. You know how different life is now from the way it was seven years ago."

"I know, but..."

"So will you marry me again? Please?"

"Yes, Christian. I will."

They were wed several weeks later in a small Methodist church in Arlington, Virginia. Seeing no need for the extravagant ceremony that their first wedding had been, Lissa wanted to keep things simple this time around. Seth and Jacy were there, of course, and Justin on his crutches. Even Alethia showed up, but Billy, who was now in the army and stationed in the mid east, didn't even respond to the invitation Lissa sent him. She suspected that he was disappointed that she'd gone back to Christian and possibly even saw it as a betrayal of his father's memory.

Unwilling to leave the twins and afraid to fly with them, Rose didn't attend, but she sent her best wishes, and Dimitri did the same.

For their honeymoon, they rented a snug, charming little cabin in the mountains, where they went fishing and toasted marshmallows and laid on a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace.

It was the happiest they'd been in a very long time.

* * *

Spring arrived, and with it, a more relaxing frame of mind for Rose. The twins continued to thrive, and Marina continued to enjoy kindergarten. One afternoon, Dimitri came home with a huge grin on his face. "Come on," he said. "We're going for a ride."

"Where to, Papa?" asked Marina.

Dimitri's eyes twinkled. "It's a surprise."

He drove them to the area around the Hollywood sign, where a group of vineyards stood. He stopped the car beside one of them and got out, and a bewildered Rose followed.

Dimitri broke into a grin and spread both arms out wide. "Well, what do you think of it? I call it Vtoraya Zhinz."

"You _bought _this?" Rose gasped in disbelief.

"Yes, I did. Isn't it beautiful?"

"It's lovely." Rose held one twin in each arm as she watched Marina dash up and down the rows. "So are you giving up your studio job, then?"

"Oh, no. Not yet, anyway. I expect she should be turning a profit in a few months. I might consider it then."

"I had no idea you had an interest in growing grapes and producing wine."

"It came to me a few months ago," Dimitri told her. "I knew there had to be more in life for me than adjusting lighting and sound, and one day, I just happened to see an article in a magazine about vineyards, and I knew right away it was something I wanted to do."

Rose frowned. "So are you sure you'll have time for this _and _your regular job?"

"I'll _make _time." He stepped closer to her, and she could see the sincerity in his eyes as his arm encircled her waist. "Please, Roza. I need something to give my life meaning again."

"Me and the children aren't enough for you?" She couldn't disguise the hurt in her voice. And right after we had that conversation about rearranged priorities, she observed.

"Rose." She heard the gentle reproach in his voice and regretted her words. "You know that I love you all more than anything else in the world, but this is something I have to do for myself. Please try to understand."

After all, hadn't he given up the opportunity for a high ranking position with the FSS for their sake? How could she begrudge him this?

"All right." Her voice was as soft as a feather. "What did you say its name was again?"

"Vtoraya Zhinz. That means 'second life'."

She nodded, wondering whether this truly would turn out to be the 'second life' he longed for.


	30. The Birdhouse

"Look what I made!" Melody grinned as she held up the birdhouse she'd just constructed for Lissa to see. Lissa was touring the now-complete summer camp to make sure everything was in good working order while Christian spoke with a group of lobbyists about the quality of the area's drinking water.

"That's very good!" Lissa exclaimed. "I can tell you put a lot of work into it."

"I'm gonna hang it up in our back yard when I get home," the little girl continued.

"I know the perfect spot for it!" added Melody's mother, Carla. She and her husband, Ted, were volunteering at the summer camp their daughter attended.

"I remember when my own two were little." Lissa sighed. "That was _so _many years ago."

"They _do _grow up fast, don't they?" Carla remarked. "I intend to enjoy every moment of her childhood I can."

At noon, Lissa drove to the restaurant at which she'd promised to meet Christian for lunch. Fifteen minutes after her arrival, her husband showed up, out of breath and with tousled hair.

"Sorry I'm late, hon," he told his wife. "I just can't get those guys to agree on _anything. _One wants to raise property taxes, and another wants to regulate fluoride content. You just can't win with those guys."

"My poor darling." She held his face between her hands as she kissed his lips.

"So how was _your _morning?"

"A lot more pleasant than yours, it sounds like. The kids made bird houses out of empty milk cartons this morning."

Christian chuckled. "I did that once as a kid."

The waitress arrived with their food, and Christian dug in with relish while Lissa speared a bit of salad with her fork and twirled it around. "Christian?"

His eyebrows went up as he looked at her.

"Do you ever miss the days when Jacy and Seth were little?"

He frowned. "To be honest, I barely even remember those times."

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately." She took a deep breath, summoning her courage. "I'd like for us to have another child."

He spluttered and reached for his tea. Lissa realized her mistake. "I'm sorry. I should have waited until later to tell you."

"That's all right." He dabbed his chin with his napkin. "I'd say I was all for it, hon, but...at your age? Wouldn't there be a higher risk of complications?"

"I'd be willing to take the risk."

Christian's fingers touched her cheek gently. "You miss having someone to take care of, don't you?"

"That might be part of it, but I don't think it's the whole reason. We've talked about having more children before, remember? Right before you met Dimitri Belikov."

"Yeah, but we were a lot younger then."

She sighed and fiddled with her food. "It was just a thought."

A moment later, Christian's hand covered her own. "If it means that much to you, hon, we'll have another. I love you and want you to be happy."

* * *

Rose gasped. "You have _got _to be kidding me!"

"I'm perfectly serious," Janine told her youngest daughter. "If Brett hadn't found her right when he did, she would have drowned."

"So is she all right now?"

"She's in the hospital on life support. The doctor told me it was touch and go." Janine began to cry. "Oh, Rose, I couldn't _bear _to lose her! Losing your father was hard enough..."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, Mom. I'll take the next plane out."

"Please hurry, Rose! Rachel and I are beside ourselves with worry."

"Please try to calm down, Mom. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up the telephone and turned to Dimitri, who was sitting on a quilt on the floor, playing with the twins. "Rebecca took a bunch of pills and then got into the bathtub. Brett found her just in time. She's on life support now, and they don't know whether she'll make it or not."

"Oh, no!" He came to his wife and embraced her, and she clung to him.

"I have to go to them, Dimitri. They need me."

"Of course! The children will be fine. Bonita's here to help me with them."

"But Viktor and Vanessa are still so _tiny!"_ She went to the twins and sat beside them, taking Vanessa into her lap. A moment later, she felt Dimitri's arms around her, his lips softly caressing her forehead.

"Go to them, Roza. They need you. We'll be all right."

The following morning, she stood in the airport saying good-bye to her family. "Be good for your father," she told Marina as she kissed her cheek.

"I will, Mommy," the little girl promised.

Rose kissed each twin's down-covered head, gave Dimitri one last embrace, and then headed for the entrance ramp.

Throughout the five-hour flight, her thoughts vacillated between her sister and her children. Would Rebecca still be alive when she got to the hospital? Would Bonita forget any of the twins' medications? If Rebecca survived, would she be left with permanent brain damage? Would Marina lose any more teeth while she was gone?

At last the airplane landed, and Rose took a taxi to first the motel to leave her luggage, then to the hospital. Once there, she located intensive care and found the cubicle in which Rebecca lay motionless and pale with an I.V. in her arm and tubes running up her nose. Janine and Rachel sat beside her with forlorn looks on their faces. They looked up when Rose entered, and Janine embraced her youngest daughter.

"Oh, Rose! I'm _so _glad you're here!"


	31. Mila

Rose sat at her sleeping sister's bedside, watching her chest move up and down and staring at the tubes running out of her nose. Rebecca had been lucky, the doctor had said. The sleeping pills she'd taken had been enough to knock her out but not to kill her, and no water had entered her lungs, so all there was to do was to wait for the effect of the narcotics to wear off.

Rose didn't know whether to feel relieved or chagrined. She was glad her sister was going to be all right, of course, yet at the same time, she resented the fact that she'd left two tiny, helpless infants to fly to the side of a fully grown woman who should have know better than to have done what she'd done.

"It's such a good thing Brett found her when he did," Janine remarked. "Otherwise she would have ended up brain damaged, or even worse!"

"He'll probably have nightmares for the rest of his life," Rachel remarked. "How are the twins doing now, Rose?"

"Pretty good. They're both gaining weight like they should. The doctor said I could start giving them solids next month. How are your kids?"

"They're fine. All four of them made the honor roll again. Wes and I are taking them to Disney World as a reward. She sighed. "At least we were until _this _happened."

They stayed until visiting hours were over, and then Rachel went home to her husband and children and Rose went home with Janine. She called Dimitri as soon as she was settled.

"He took Marina out for ice cream," Bonita told her when she answered the telephone. "I'll tell him you called when he returns."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot about the time difference. Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to find out how everyone's doing."

"They're all fine. I just gave the twins their afternoon feedings."

About forty-five minutes later, Dimitri returned her call. "Hello, Roza."

"Hi, sweetheart. I just wanted to check in and find out how you all are. I wanted to hear your voice again, too." Alone except for her mother, the house seemed much too quiet.

"How is she?"

Rose sighed. "She just took a bunch of pills. She didn't inhale any water. She's gonna be fine."

"I'm glad. She's lucky she has a family who care for her. Marinochka wants to say hello."

"Hi, Mommy!" Marina squealed a second later. "Papa took me out for ice cream, and I got two scoops, bubblegum and cotton candy!"

"That's nice. I'm glad you're having fun."

"When are you coming home, Mommy?"

"In a few days, when your Aunt Rebecca's feeling better. I love you, sweetie. Put your Papa back on, OK?"

"Roza?" She heard Dimitri's voice again.

"I'll see you soon, babe. Love you."

"I love you, too."

Rose had a very difficult time getting to sleep that night, as she couldn't stop imagining that she could hear one of the twins crying.

Rebecca was awake when she returned to the hospital with Janine and Rachel the next day. "Nice of you to leave your gorgeous mansion just to come see little old me," she remarked when she saw Rose.

Rose bit her bottom lip to keep the words she longed to say from gushing out of her mouth.

"She _did _come all the way from California," Rachel chided her sister.

"How I wish you girls could get along!" Janine sighed.

* * *

"Papa! There's a lady at the door!" Marina cried.

Dimitri glanced through the peephole, then swung the door wide open. "Mila!" He laughed with joy as he embraced his cousin.

"The ballet is on tour, and I couldn't leave Los Angeles without paying my favorite cousin a visit, could I?" Mila saw Marina. "You must be Marina Dimitrovna."

"My Papa calls me Marinochka, and my Mommy just calls me Marina," the little girl replied. "And my teacher calls me Marina Belikova."

Mila knelt to Marina's level and spoke to her in a low voice, as if she was sharing a secret. "You're Marina Dimitrovna, and I'm Milena Arkadeevna."

"How's Aunt Irena?" asked Dimitri.

"The same, pretty much." Mila sighed. "It's only a matter of time."

"Come meet the twins." Dimitri led her into the nursery, where Viktor and Vanessa lay awake in their cribs. Mila cooed to them in Russian, lifting them in turn to kiss their cheeks. Vanessa smiled at her and gripped her finger. Viktor smiled as well but didn't accept her proffered finger.

"So you have a vineyard now," Mila remarked.

"Vtoraya Zhinz. Would you like to see it?"

"Of course!

* * *

'Star's Husband Seen in the Company of Attractive Blonde' read the tabloid headline. 'Is Dimitri fooling around while Rose's sister fights for her life in a Florida hospital?' read the caption in smaller print beneath it.

As Rose looked at the photograph of Dimitri and a woman she'd never met strolling together in Dimitri's vineyard, she felt her heart sink to her feet.


	32. Joys And Concerns

"Your sister's just been released from the hospital, and all you can do is cry!" Janine glared at her youngest daughter. "Would you rather Rebecca had died?"

"Of course not, Mom! How can you even _think _that?" Rose sniffled. "I'm crying because my marriage might be over! I saw a picture of Dimitri walking in his vineyard with another woman!"

"That's no surprise. What did you expect, marrying a man so much older, and a foreigner, besides!"

"Please try to understand, Mom. I _love _Dimitri, and it would break my heart for anything, or anybody, to come between us!"

"So go on back to California, then. Have your way. Never mind about us. We'll be all right."

Rose couldn't help feeling guilty as she boarded the airplane, and yet, once it was airborne, time seemed to drag for her. Five hours later, she was in Los Angeles once again, hailing a taxi home.

Marina was at the door to greet her, squealing and jumping up and down with excitement. Right behind her, she saw Dimitri holding Viktor and the unfamiliar woman from the photograph holding Vanessa.

"Rose." Dimitri's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't expect you back so soon."

"I know." She felt the tears come to her eyes but was determined not to let them fall.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" asked Marina.

Dimitri spoke up before she had a chance to reply. "Rose, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Mila. She's on tour with the ballet, and they're performing in Hollywood at the present."

"Your..._cousin?" _Relief washed over Rose, and at the same time, she felt very foolish for having doubted Dimitri.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Rose." Mila gave Kim a warm smile and shook her hand.

"So am I." Rose gave a shaky laugh.

"Dimitri told me about your sister. I'm very sorry that happened. Is she all right now?"

"Oh, yes. She was released from the hospital yesterday."

Mila and Rose sat on the sofa, and Dimitri brought them both glasses of wine, then joined them. "Mila and I were just discussing the possibility of Marina's attending ballet school in Moscow."

* * *

Lissa stared at the plus sign on the pregnancy test, hardly able to believe her eyes. Yet, the indisputable evidence was right there before her.

Christian gave a whoop of joy and snatched her up in a tight embrace. "We did it, babe!"

"I just can't believe it happened so fast at my age!" She gave a laugh of pure joy. "I can't wait to tell the kids!"

As soon as she had the chance, she placed a long distance telephone call to Montana. Alethia answered.

"Hi, Alethia. Could you please put Jacy on?"

"I think she's outside with Justin. I'll go check."

Five minutes later, Lissa heard her daughter's voice. "Hi, Mom. What's up?"

"Big news, Jacy. You're gonna be a big sister again!"

"What? You're kidding!" Lissa could hear the dismay in her daughter's voice. "That's so _scary, _Mom!"

"Your father and I are really happy about it, and we were hoping you would be, too."

"You mean you _meant _for this to happen?"

"Of course we did!"

A long silence followed at the other end of the line. "It's not that I'm not happy for you, but I _am _worried about you."

"It's sweet of you to worry, but they've made great strides in obstetrical care over the years, so it's not nearly as dangerous as it used to be. How's Justin?"

"He's doing really good, Mom. He's studying computer programming in a vocational program."

"Glad to hear it." The two women chatted for a few minutes longer, and then Lissa called Seth at college. He reacted with the same surprise his sister had.

"So how did the kids take it?" Christian asked as they were getting into bed together that night.

"They were both surprised, but once the shock wore off, I think they both handled it pretty well. Jacy's concerned about my health."

"So am I, sweetie. We talked about that before, remember?"

She smiled and trailed her fingers down the side of his face. "It'll be all right, Chris."

He took her hand into his own and kissed its palm. "God, I sure hope so."

* * *

Rose gasped. _"Now? _But she's only six!"

Mila smiled. "I know she's very young, but the earlier she starts, the greater her potential. She performed some basic steps for me, and I was very impressed with her talent. It's obvious she has what it takes to succeed in a highly competitive field, and I believe you'd be doing her a disservice to delay her entry into it."

Rose stared at her husband. "And you're in agreement with this?"

"I promised her we'd wait until you were back from Florida to make a final decision," Dimitri replied.

"How _generous _of you!" Rose's eyes blazed with anger. "First my sister almost dies, and now this!"


	33. Loss

"Roza." Dimitri reached for his wife, but she pulled away from him.

"She's only six, and you want to send her halfway around the world? Dimitri, how _could _you?"

"Please try to understand, Roza. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We both know how talented Marinochka is, and it would be a real shame for that talent not to be used to its fullest potential. It's only due to Mila's professional connections that the opportunity is being offered to her in the first place, and we'd be fools to turn it down."

"A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at just six years old?"

"Forgive me for intruding, Rose, but you see, the sooner she begins training, the further she can go," said Mila.

"And ballet school here in the United States isn't good enough?"

"There are many excellent ballet schools here in America, but not even the best of them can compare to the Moscow State Academy of Choreography," said Dimitri.

"And for that you'd be willing to give up ever seeing your daughter again until she's grown?"

"Don't be stupid, Roza. There are plenty of holidays and other breaks during the year. We'd see as much of her as we want."

"I refuse to discuss this any further." Rose turned and stalked to the bedroom, where she slammed the door shut behind herself.

* * *

"Let's take a look at this baby." The ultrasound technician, Patty, squirted the cold gel onto Lissa's exposed abdomen and began to move the wand around. Her frown grew deeper as she continued to move it around for what seemed like forever to Lissa.

"I'll have to get Dr. Benson," she said after awhile.

Lissa nearly jumped off the table. "What's wrong?"

Patty sighed. "I can see the gestational sac, but I can't find the embryo. I'm not sure what's going on. I'll have to check with him."

Lissa turned tear-filled eyes to her husband. "Oh, Christian..."

"I'm sure it'll be all right." He didn't look sure at all.

A few minutes later, Patty returned with Dr. Benson, who gazed at the ultrasound screen for a few seconds before looking at Christian and Lissa. "Have either of you ever heard the term 'blighted ovum'?" he asked them.

They both shook their heads.

"It's when a chromosomal abnormality in a fertilized egg prevents the embryo from developing properly," Dr. Benson told them. "I'm afraid that's what's happened in your case. I'm so very sorry."

"So there isn't really a baby there at all?" Christian heard the mournful tone of Lissa's voice, and his heart ached for her.

"Unfortunately, no. I'm going to have to schedule you for a D and C, Mrs. Ozera. It's a minor procedure, and you can go home the next day."

"It's because I'm so much older this time, isn't it?" Lissa's voice was harsh with bitterness. "I'm too old to have a healthy baby now." She began to sob, and Christian embraced her and tried to comfort her.

"It isn't your fault, sweetheart. Things like this just happen sometimes. We can try again just as soon as you've recovered."

"No, we can't. I'm too afraid." By now, Lissa was weeping hard.

* * *

"I'm afraid I didn't make a very good first impression on your wife." Mila gave an uneasy chuckle as she bid Dimitri good-bye.

"Don't worry about it. She's a bit upset right now, but I'm sure she'll be over it soon," Dimitri replied.

"Good-bye, Milena Arky...Arky..." Marina struggled to remember.

"Milena Arkeevna. And good-bye to you as well, Marina Dimitrovna. Be a good girl for your Mama and Papa, and take good care of your baby brother and sister." Mila kissed Marina's cheek, and the little girl beamed.

After Mila had left, Dimitri went to the bedroom and knocked on the door. "She's gone now, Roza. You can come back out."

After a long moment, Rose finally responded. "I'll come back out, on the condition it's understood the subject of Marina attending ballet school in Russia is closed."

Dimitri sighed. "All right."


	34. The Fire

"It'll all be over with in a few minutes, hon." Christian sat beside his wife, stroking her hair. "I'll take you somewhere extra nice for dinner tomorrow. How's that sound?"

"All right," Lissa mumbled, already feeling the effects of the heavy sedation.

"I love you." He kissed her cheek.

"Love...you..."

A few seconds later, they rolled her into the operating room. Christian paced the floor, glancing at his wrist watch every few minutes. Exactly one second after the sixth glance, Dr. Benson appeared. "Everything went well. She's resting in recovery. You can go back and see her in a few minutes."

"Thank God." Christian let out the breath he'd been holding. Moments later, he was sitting at the bedside of a very woozy Lissa.

"I'm thirsty," she whispered.

Christian held a straw to her lips, and she took several sips of ice water from the Styrofoam cup he held. "Thank you."

Christian's fingers brushed several strands of damp hair from her forehead. "Is it all over, then?" she asked him.

He nodded, and she began to cry, tears flowing down the sides of her face to dampen the pillow. He stayed beside her for as late as he was allowed, then returned home alone to eat a TV dinner and watch a couple of hours of news. A woman from the animal rights group was being interviewed. Every other word out of her mouth was bleeped. Christian sighed and changed the channel.

Without the soft warmth of Lissa's body beside him in bed, the bed seemed much too large, and his sleep was fitful and filled with dreams involving dismembered dolls. He awoke early and wasn't able to get back to sleep. He drank several cups of black coffee and did paperwork before time to pick Lissa up from the hospital.

He arrived to find her much more alert than she'd been the previous day but a bit pale. "You look well," he told her.

She smirked. "No I don't, but thanks."

He took her hand and led her out of the hospital, taking care not to walk past the nursery. "Want to go to the zoo for a bit?" he asked her. "I know how much you love to watch the monkeys."

"No, thanks. I just want to go home and rest."

Later, Christian went to the supermarket and bought steaks and potatoes and vegetables and made a nice meal at home.

* * *

"How far away is Russia, Papa?" Marina asked her father.

"About ten thousand kilometers, or six thousand miles," Dimitri replied.

The little girl's eyes grew big. "Wow, that's even longer than a hundred miles!"

Dimitri laughed. "A bit longer, yes."

"Don't worry about that, sweetie." Rose smiled at her daughter. "You're not going to Russia, not any time soon, at least."

"Mila said that's where the best ballet school is, but I like _my _ballet school."

"And that's where you're going to stay, at least until you're older."

"How much older?"

"A teenager, at least."

"How old will I be then?"

"Thirteen."

"Wow, and I'm only six now! That's a _long _time away!"

After she'd ran outside to play, her parents looked at one another. "I guess I _did _kind of over react." Rose's voice was sheepish.

"That's all right. I don't really want to be separated from her either, especially considering how much of her life I've already missed."

"That was my fault." Rose sighed and looked down at her hands, thinking of how much her husband and daughter loved one another. "It's something I'll never forgive myself for."

A moment later, she felt the warmth of her husband's hands covering her own. "There's nothing to forgive, Roza. You were alone and afraid, unsure of what to do. I'll always regret that I wasn't there for you when you needed me, but that's all in the past, darling. We have all the rest of our lives to look forward to."

She raised her head so she could kiss his lips. "I love you, Dimitri."

"I love you too, Roza."

* * *

Christian was driving home from work when he heard the news on the radio. The camp for disadvantaged children had burned to the ground during normal operating hours, leaving six dead and nineteen injured, mostly due to smoke inhalation. Arson was suspected.

_Oh my God. _In his head, Christian repeated the phrase over and over again for the rest of the ride home. He could only imagine the state he'd find his wife in.

He'd barely entered the house when she ran to him, hysterical with grief. All he could do was hold her and try his best to comfort her.

"They won't release the names of the victims. I've called every hospital in the area, and nobody will tell me anything. I just _know _Melody's hurt...or even worse!"


	35. A Cloud Of Gloom

"Let me see what I can do." Christian placed a telephone call, introduced himself, spoke for a few minutes, then hung up and turned back to his wife. "Melody's at MedStar," he told her. "She's suffering from second degree burns and smoke inhalation. Her parents were both killed in the fire."

"Oh no! Poor little girl!" Lissa cried. "I have to go to her right away!"

"The traffic's horrible out there, hon..."

"I don't care! I have to go to her, now!"

"At least let me drive you. You're in no state to be behind a wheel right now."

An hour and a half later, they arrived at the hospital, where they parked and walked half a block. Lissa told the receptionist she was there to visit Melody, and the flustered woman told her the room number.

She entered the room to find the little girl lying in bed with her arms and legs swathed in bandages, hooked up to an IV. She was awake, but just barely.

Lissa wondered whether anyone had told her about her parents yet.

She sat beside the bed and touched Melody's hand.

"Mommy?"

"No, I'm Miss Lissa from the summer camp. Don't you remember me?"

The little girl's eyes filled with tears. "Where's my Mommy?" No one had told her, or if they had, she hadn't understood.

"Your Mommy couldn't come, so she sent me." Lissa swept the little girl's dark blonde bangs back with her fingers. "I brought you a friend." She held out the rag doll she'd brought along. "Her name is Kozy Kate, and she used to belong to my little girl when she was your age."

"You have a little girl?"

"I did, but she's all grown up now. Her name is Jacy. She lives in Montana, and she works with people who've been hurt to help them get better."

"She's a nurse?"

"Not exactly. She's a physical therapist, but that's sort of like a nurse."

At first Christian simply hovered near the door, observing the interaction between Lissa and Melody, but as they continued to talk, he gradually moved closer, until he was standing right beside the bed. Melody looked up at him. "You're the nice man who built the camp, aren't you?"

Christian laughed. "I didn't build it, but I did give permission for it to be built. My name is Mr. Christian, and I'm Miss Lissa's husband."

Suddenly he was taken back to the time Jacy had had her tonsils removed when she was six. When he and Lissa had gone back to see her after her operation, she'd been lying in bed just like Melody was now, eyelids half closed, clutching Kozy Kate tightly. They'd allowed her to take the doll back with her into surgery.

If Christian squinted his eyes, it was easy to forget that a different little girl lay there now.

* * *

"I want to adopt her," Lissa told her husband on the way home.

Christian cleared his throat. "Isn't this rather sudden?"

"The _fire _was 'rather sudden', Christian. In the blink of an eye, Melody lost both her parents. She has no one, Christian. No family, no home, nobody to love her. She needs us!"

Christian frowned. "But certainly there are grandparents, uncles and aunts. They'll get first choice when it comes to custody, you know."

Lissa was silent. She hadn't even thought about that. Neither of them said a word for the rest of the ride home. It was like a cloud of gloom had settled over them, adding to the grief they both felt about the fire and the loss of lives.

* * *

Billy Milford lay on his back on a cot in an American army medic tent in Iraq. They'd given him medication to dull the pain, but his shattered leg still throbbed. He heaved a heavy sigh, looking down at the bandages, the make-do support device. He knew he'd just have to bear it until he could get back to the states, where he could get real medical attention.

He dozed briefly, and when he opened his eyes, Devin was there, standing right beside his cot. He gasped, shocked. "Dad?"

"I'm proud of you, son."

"But I thought you were gone!"

"I had to leave you and your brother. I didn't want to, but I had no other choice. It was either that or just stand by helplessly and let them win. I came back to let you know I saw what you did out there, how bravely you defended our country and its values. Never give up, Billy. Fight to your last breath. That's what I did, and I know you will too, because you're a Milford...and my son. Never forget that, and please also know that I love you more than you could ever know, and I always will."

Devin's appearance began to change, gradually becoming more translucent. "Don't go, Dad!" Billy grasped for his father's hand but clasped only empty air.


	36. With Marion, Who Knows?

"Evidence suggests that, contrary to suspicions, the animal rights group had nothing at all to do with the fire at the disadvantaged children's camp," the newscaster announced. "Instead, authorities are pursuing evidence that the Communist Party of the U.S.A. may actually be the culprits. Stand by for more information."

"I don't believe it!" gasped Lissa, who was cuddling on the sofa with Christian while they watched the news together.

"I heard the same thing at work today," Christian told her. "I didn't mention it because I thought it was just a rumor, but apparently it's a substantive one."

"Why don't you ask Dimitri Belikov about it? Doesn't he know all about what they're up to?"

"Of course not! Why should he? He's never been affiliated with them. When he lost his position with the KGB, he pretty much abandoned politics." Christian rolled his eyes. "I'll bet I know who _is _behind it, though."

"Who?"

"Marion Andrews."

Lissa gasped. "Devin's ex-wife?"

"Exactly."

"But why?"

Christian shrugged. "With Marion, who knows?"

* * *

"But he's my _brother!" _Caleb protested.

"He ceased to be your brother and my son the moment he reclaimed the Milford surname." Marion's voice was cold. "When he did that, it was just as if he'd spit in our faces."

"He's _hurt, _Mom. Don't you even care about that at all?"

"The United Sates army is an Imperialist organization dedicated to forcing its political agenda on all the other nations of the world. Is it any wonder they fight back?"

"This is _Billy, _Mom. He's all alone, and he needs us. We should go to him."

"As far as I'm concerned, the subject is closed," Marion snapped.

* * *

"Wow!" Melody's eyes grew as big as saucers as she gazed around at the inside of the Ozera home. "Is this really my new home?"

"For now, yes," Lissa told her. It had turned out that the little girl had no close relatives who were interested in taking responsibility for her, and Christian and Lissa had been granted temporary custody while their application to adopt her was pending.

"Would you like to see your new bedroom?" asked Lissa.

"Oh, yes!"

She'd spared no expense in decorating the nicest unoccupied bedroom in the house. A white four-poster canopied bed dominated the room, and its mattress was covered with a fluffy white quilt and pink pillows with ruffles. Lacy white curtains hung at the window, and a white chest of drawers covered with princess decor stood in one corner. There was also a dresser with a mirror above it, and even a hanging white wicker chair with white and pink quilting inside. Melody ran to it and flung herself into its seat, grinning at Christian and Lissa. Her wounds had healed, fading to faint white scars.

"Do you like it?" asked Christian. He knew it was far nicer than any bedroom she'd ever occupied in her biological parents' house.

"I _love _it!"

"I'm so glad you do." Christian and Lissa exchanged glances before joining hands and leaving the little girl to explore her new treasures.

"I _told _you she'd love it!" Lissa said to her husband.

"I never doubted that. I only questioned whether it would be prudent to get her hopes up. The adoption won't be final for awhile, you know."

"But why _wouldn't _they let us adopt her?"

"You know we've only been remarried for a few months. They're going to want a stable home for her."

"But our home _is _stable! I know we had some problems in the past, but they're all resolved now. She _needs _us, Christian. Few other families in this area could provide for her like we can."

Looking into his wife's eyes, Christian could see how important this was to her. He remembered her devastation following the miscarriage, the close bond she'd formed with the little girl. He recalled how the scene in the hospital, with Melody lying there looking so frightened and small, had tugged at his own heart strings.

He realized the outcome of the application to adopt her mattered just about as much to him as it did to Lissa.


	37. Locked Out

"Caleb! You came!" Billy's eyes lit up.

"Of _course _I came! I couldn't just let my favorite brother linger here all alone, could I?"

Billy scowled. "You know I'm your _only _brother." He tossed an imaginary wad of paper at his brother, who pretended to duck. "Mom actually let you come? I'm amazed!"

"No, she didn't." Caleb recalled the dangerous drop from his windowsill in the dead of night, falling asleep on the Greyhound bus later, awakening in a strange city, struggling to find the army hospital. It had been by far the most daring adventure the young teen had ever been on, and it had both terrified and thrilled him.

"Oh." Billy burst out laughing. "Little bro, there just might be hope for you, after all."

Caleb frowned and looked at his brother's leg, the shiny metal of the orthopedic device encasing it partially hidden by flesh-colored bandages. "What's the doctor say about your leg?"

"If I'm lucky, I might be walking again a year from now."

"I guess going back to Iraq is out of the question, then."

Billy stared at the wall, blinking back the tears. The news of the medical discharge, expected as it may have been, had nevertheless devastated him. The knowledge that he could no longer be of service to his country had made him feel weak, helpless...useless. Only the memory of the otherworldly visit from his father had sustained him.

"I'm sorry," Caleb mumbled.

One of Billy's eyebrows rose. "Are you, really?"

"I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true." Caleb looked straight into Billy's eyes. "A camp for disadvantaged children in Washington, D.C. was just torched. Six people were killed."

"Oh, no!" Billy gasped. "Did they catch who did it yet?"

"Not yet." Caleb's gaze shifted to the hospital room window. He'd heard the rumors, as had everyone. The Communist Party of the U.S.A. was to blame, it was said.

"But you know." Billy's response was a statement, not a question.

"It wasn't her!" Caleb's outburst made his brother's eyes widen. "She _wouldn't! _I know what side she's on, Billy, but she's our _mother, _the woman who gave birth to us. She'd _never _be responsible for the deaths of innocent people. Of _course _she wouldn't!"

Billy just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

* * *

For the entire bus ride home, Caleb envisioned scenario after scenario in which he'd explain his absence to his mother. A friend's out-of-state relative was dying and he'd gone along for moral support. Or a much better idea: the Young Communist League had needed him for an urgent secret mission. He'd wanted to tell her about it beforehand, but there hadn't been time.

Nothing prepared him for what he found upon his return home. Marion's large, rambling estate seemed completely deserted, and when Caleb attempted to insert his key into the lock, he discovered that it didn't fit.

_I can't believe it! _he told himself. _She's gone and changed the lock on me!_

With a sigh, he began the long trek to the nearest neighbor, hoping someone was home and would let him in. When he finally reached the house, he knocked on the door, and about five minutes later, it was opened by a surly-looking elderly man.

"Yeah?" the man grunted.

"My I please come in, sir? My Mom's put me out of the house."

"Huh? Who's your Mom?"

"Her name's Marion Andrews, and she lives up that way." He pointed.

The man scowled. "That Commie bitch?" He started to close the door, but Caleb used his foot to keep it from sliding all the way shut.

"Please, sir. I don't have anywhere else to go. I don't share my mother's political views. I'm a true-blue American, and as soon as I'm old enough to vote, I'm gonna register as a Republican."

The man's facial expression didn't change, but he did step aside so Caleb could enter the house. "You got any other family?"

"Just my brother, and he's in the army hospital 'cause he got hurt in Iraq." Suddenly he remembered. "Actually, I have an Aunt Alethia too, but she's in Montana."

"What's her name?"

"Alethia Ashford."

"Where 'bouts in Montana is she?"

Caleb told the man everything he knew about his Aunt Alethia, and the man called information. After writing the number they gave him down, he called it and then handed the receiver to Caleb.

"Aunt Alethia?" he asked when a woman's voice answered.

"Billy?"

"No, it's Caleb. Mom put me out of the house, and I have nowhere else to go. Can you please come get me?"

"Why'd your Mom put you out of the house?"

"We had a big argument about me going to see Billy, and I sneaked out and went to see him on my own. When I got back, I found out she'd changed the locks."

"No wonder." Alethia gave a heavy sigh. "Where are you now?"

"At a neighbor's house. He let me come in and use the phone."

"Stay where you are. I'll book airline tickets for you as soon as I can."

"Thanks!" Caleb heaved a sigh of relief.


	38. The Half Of It

"Oh, you poor dear!" Alethia embraced her nephew as soon as she saw him. "Was your flight OK?"

"It was fine." Caleb didn't smile. "Thanks for letting me come stay with you."

"Don't mention it. You're family - that's all there is to it." She put her arm around him and began to lead him toward her truck. "How's Billy?"

"His leg's banged up pretty bad. The doctor said he won't be able to walk on it for at least a year."

Alethia tut-tutted. "I can't imagine her doing that, putting her own son out of the house!" They'd reached the truck, and she opened the door on the passenger's side.

"You don't know Mom." Caleb climbed into the truck and fastened his seat belt.

"I've still got all Billy's outgrown clothes," Alethia told her nephew as she drove along. "I reckon they'd probably fit you by now."

Caleb was silent, staring out the window at the wheat fields, the livestock, the tractors and silos.

"Here we are," Alethia announced as she pulled up in front of the ranch. "You can have Billy's old room. Most of his stuff is still in there."

She showed him the barn and all the animals, then led him into the house, where Jacy and Justin sat at the table shelling peas. They looked up as Alethia and Caleb entered the house. "You remember Caleb," Alethia said to them.

"Of course!" Jacy gave a warm smile as she reached for Caleb's hand. "It's good to see you again! How are you?"

Caleb shrugged. "All right."

"You remember Caleb, don't you, Justin?" Jacy added.

Justin smiled. "Kay - leb."

"That's right!" Jacy hugged him.

Alethia led Caleb to his new bedroom and briefly showed him its contents. After she'd left, he took his shoes off, stretched out on the bed, and was asleep within seconds.

* * *

"Are you all right, dear?" Rose looked up as Dimitri entered the living room and sat in a recliner, where he leaned all the way back and closed his eyes, cradling his head in his hands.

He moaned softly in response. "This book is turning out to be a more ambitious project than I thought it would be."

Rose was watching as Vanessa toddled around the room, holding onto furniture for support, while Viktor seemed content to sit on the quilt in the middle of the living room floor, watching his twin sister. Marina sat cross-legged on the floor a couple of feet away from her brother, her paper doll book open in front of her, watching Vanessa as well while pretending to be a referee.

"She's reaching for the sofa pillow...aaand she touches it, for a halftime score of one to zero!"

"So give it a rest, sweetheart." Rose got up and went to stand behind her husband so she could massage his temples. "It's not like there's a deadline you have to meet."

"You don't understand," Dimitri told her. "They have to know."

"Who has to know what?"

"The American public. They have to know what really happened, that I wasn't as benign a presence as they thought I was, that none of us were."

Rose sighed. "It was a different era, Dimitri, an entirely different mentality. You had a job to do, a niche to fill, and you did it to the best of your ability. I know not all of it was pretty, that some of it was really ugly, but it's over now, thank goodness. The world's a whole different place. You need to learn to put it behind you, to forgive yourself."

Dimitri only shook his head. "You don't know the half of it."

* * *

"I don't understand, Marion," Alethia said over the telephone. "How could you put your own son out of the house to fend for himself when he isn't even old enough to drive yet?"

"I didn't put him out." Marion's voice was cold, clipped. "He left on his own."

"And came back to find the locks changed. How could you _do _that?"

"How could I _not _do it? He chose Billy over me, and now he has to live with the consequences."

"He's your _son, _Marion. Your own son, and he's seriously injured, and you won't even go see him!"

"His father ruined him." Marion sounded as if she were about to cry. "He was such a good boy when he was little, and then Devin started dumping all that American Capitalist crap on him, brainwashing him. Now he's taken both my sons away, and I'll never forgive him."

"They love you, Marion, and they need you..."

But Marion had already hung up.

* * *

"I swear to you, my organization had nothing to do with this terrible tragedy," Marion told the anchorwoman holding the microphone. "It went against everything we stand for - peace, equality, compassion, and justice for everyone, especially the most vulnerable among us, namely, the children. We consider them to be beacons of hope, promises of the future, our most valuable resource. It's absolutely ludicrous to even suggest that we had the slightest bit of input to the organization of this massacre."

The camera panned full on his mother's face as Billy used the remote to turn the television off.


	39. Repercussions

**Two Years Later**

"Deceased KGB Leader Implicated In Tell-All Book By Husband Of Actress' the magazine headline screamed. Rose and Dimitri, who were both wearing dark glasses and wigs, were in the check-out lane at the supermarket. All three children were with them. At nine, Marina had already performed in several ballet recitals and was also making a name for herself in commercials. The three-year-old twins were happy, intelligent, and well-adjusted, Viktor's mild cerebral palsy the only lingering evidence of their premature birth.

"I see your book has already caught the attention of the press." Unable to stop herself, Rose picked up the tabloid and added it to her buggy.

"That's the least of my concerns," Dimitri replied. "The only thing I care about is that my conscience is finally clear."

"Dad's an author!" Marina told her siblings.

"What's that?" asked Vanessa.

"That means he wrote a book, so he's gonna be famous, like Mom. Right, Dad?"

Dimitri chuckled. "I don't know how famous I'll become." On the sidewalk in front of the supermarket was a coin-operated carousel. "I want to ride the merry-go-round!" Vanessa shouted, running toward it.

"Me too!" Viktor stumbled after his twin, struggling to catch up and reaching the carousel several seconds later.

"I'll help you up, Viktor." Marina helped her brother climb onto a pony, Dimitri deposited a coin into the appropriate slot, and both twins squealed with delight as the ride began to move.

"They're just normal, regular kids." Rose slipped her arm through her husband's. "I so hope they can stay that way."

"Why couldn't they?" Dimitri replied.

After the twins had had several rides on the carousel, the family returned to their car and went home.

* * *

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the minister said. "You may kiss the bride."

Justin raised Jacy's veil and kissed her lips, and the guests cheered for them.

Melody bounded up to the couple, all smiles. "Did I do a good job, Jacy?"

"You did an excellent job, sweetheart. I couldn't have asked for a better flower girl." She embraced the little girl, who beamed.

"That was the most beautiful wedding I've ever attended!" Lissa dabbed at the tears in her eyes.

"Why are you crying, Mommy?" asked Melody.

"Because I'm so happy!" Lissa told her. The little girl had adjusted well to life in the Ozera home. She'd often had nightmares at first, but as time had passed, they'd grown much less frequent and severe.

Seth and Jacy adored their new sister, who never spoke of her first family anymore. Christian and Lissa were frustrated that the arsonists who'd destroyed the camp for disadvantaged children, which had been rebuilt only a few months ago, had never been caught.

"How'd you hurt your leg?" Melody asked Billy, who was standing with his brother.

"Fighting as a soldier in Iraq," Billy told her.

"How much longer do you have to wear that thing on it?"

"Until the doctor says it can come off." He didn't tell her he might have to wear the brace for the rest of his life.

The reception began to dwindle, and Jacy and Justin prepared to leave for their honeymoon in Las Vegas. "I wish you all the happiness in the world." Lissa's eyes were still moist as she embraced her daughter. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Mom."

"Congratulations." Christian shook Justin's hand. "You take good care of my little girl, you hear?"

"I will, sir." After many months of physical therapy, Justin had regained almost one hundred percent of his previous function.

Christian and Lissa stood smiling and waving with their arms around one another as the newlyweds departed. Melody skipped past, blonde locks flying in the wind, and Lissa had the sudden urge to grab her and hold onto her.

"I'm so glad you're still little," she murmured into the child's hair.

"So am I." Christian had to swallow a lump in his throat.

* * *

As Dimitri and Rose returned to their home, their jubilant mood quickly turned to one of shock and dismay. Their front yard was full of trash, and several of their windows were broken. The word 'Murderer' had been spray-painted across the front of the house with red paint.

_"Bozhe moy." _Dimitri whispered the words as his body sagged in despair.

"Daddy!" Vanessa primped up and began to cry.

"Dimitri, find a pay phone. We have to call the police." Rose struggled to keep her voice steady.

"Why can't we call from our own phone, Mom?" asked Marina.

"They may still be inside the house!" Rose didn't even realize she was shouting.


	40. Nowhere To Go

"Everybody in the van," Dimitri ordered. "Your mother's right. The police must be notified right away."

He drove his family to the police station, where they were asked to leave a detailed report, and then the police chief promised to send officers out to investigate the crime.

As soon as they were alone again, Rose collapsed into Dimitri's arms, sobbing hard. "Oh, Dimitri, what are we gonna do?"

"We are going to spend tonight in a motel room under assumed names." He held her and stroked her hair, trying his best to comfort her. "Tomorrow, you and the children are flying to Montana. You aren't safe here."

"I'm not leaving you." She clung to him more tightly.

"I wanna go home!" Viktor wailed.

"It won't be for long," Dimitri promised. "Just until all this is over with. Right now the media is obsessed with my book; in a few weeks, it will be back to whatever the President's doing. Please, darling, just do it for me. It's the only way I'll have any peace of mind." He loosened his grip on her slightly to gaze earnestly into her eyes.

She sighed. "All right."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "It will only be for a little while, darling. I promise."

They embraced, then parted.

Except for the intermittent chatter of the twins, the ride to the motel room was silent. Marina, who understood the gravity of the situation as well as her parents did, just stared at the back of the seat in front of her with a slight frown on her face for the entire trip. She looked as if she might dissolve into tears any minute.

Once inside the motel room, no one could relax. Rose gave each of the twins a box of animal crackers. They ate several apiece and then made a game of tossing the cookies at one another.

"You're just wasting them." Marina snatched the box from the nearest twin, who promptly wailed.

"It doesn't matter," Rose told her daughter, who returned the box to its previous owner.

After all three children were settled for the night, Dimitri and Rose cleaned up the mess together, and then Dimitri gestured toward the bathroom. "Come in with me and wash my back?" Rose requested.

Without a word, Dimitri opened the door for his wife and then followed her in. They disrobed and got into the tub together, where they washed one another off, taking their time to ensure that not one inch of skin was neglected. Rose was massaging Dimitri's toes with a washcloth when she felt him tap her shoulder and looked up to see him grin and blow bubbles at her.

She covered her mouth with a hand to suppress a giggle, then saw that he was standing and offering a hand to help her up. Then they were both standing and dripping on the carpet, and he was using a big fluffy towel to dry her off. She returned the favor, and then they walked to the bed hand-in-hand and slipped beneath the cool sheets.

Their lovemaking was tender yet urgent, each of them eager to savor every ounce of its sweetness, and afterwards, they fell asleep in one another's arms.

* * *

"Please be careful, Daddy!" Marina begged as she hugged Dimitri at the airport the following morning.

"Of course I will be, Marinochka. Take good care of your Mama and brother and sister, all right?"

Marina nodded, and Rose could see the tears in the young girl's eyes. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her to the check-in lane.

The flight to Montana was uneventful, and Alethia was there to meet them, as Rose had known she would be. The older woman frowned but said nothing.

"You're gonna love the farm," Marina told her younger brother and sister on the way there. "There are chickens, pigs, and horses!"

Both twins began to make animal noises.

"How are Justin and Jacy?" asked Rose.

"Doin' just fine. Those two sure love each other."

Rose wondered to herself whether Alethia was lonely, whether she had any regrets about the way her life had turned out. The last relationship she'd had of which Rose had been aware had been with the sadistic Helmut Gurtman. Following the East German officer's death, Alethia had turned her focus to her career as a schoolteacher, rather than becoming a bitter recluse like Marion Andrews.

They reached the farm, and the twins bounded from the car and ran in search of the animals, while a wide-eyed Marina clung to her mother.

* * *

As he drove away from the airport, Dimitri reflected that he'd never felt more alone in his life. True, he'd spirited his family away to safety, but he himself had nowhere to go. He could head for his favorite bar, drink himself into oblivion, and then crash at Roger's, but he knew that, in the morning, he'd only wake up with a hangover, empty and aching for Rose and his children.

Absorbed in his thoughts, he had no idea he was being followed.


	41. The Sassy Lassie Girl

It occurred to him that it might be best to simply return to Russia, at least until this all blew over. The thought of streets full of snow and icicles hanging from rafters contrasted with the palm trees of southern California depressed him, but he supposed he could get used to it. Still unsure exactly where he was going, he found himself pulling into the parking lot of a local convenience store.

He'd parked and was on his way into the store when he was approached by a little girl about Marina's age. "Excuse me, sir, can you please help me find my puppy? We attached his leash to that post over there while we were in the store, but he chewed through it and wandered away."

Without even giving it a thought, Dimitri followed the child. He didn't notice that she was leading him behind a van. He smelled something strange, then slumped to the ground.

* * *

"I know you!" the elementary school receptionist exclaimed with a smile. "You're the Sassy Lassie girl!"

"Yes." Marina gave a shy smile. It was the first time since her arrival in Montana that someone had recognized her from a commercial. It had happened so frequently in California that she'd long ago ceased to take note of it.

"Marina's in the fourth grade," Rose told the woman.

"Very well." The receptionist smiled as she began to enter Marina's information into her computer. "We'll request her transcript from the Hollywood school, and in the meantime, I'm going to assign her to Mrs. Beeman's class." She spoke into the intercom. "You have a new student, Mrs. Beeman. Could you please send someone to the office to escort her to her new class? Thank you so much." She smiled at Marina. "Jacob will be here in a few minutes to take you to your new class. Good luck, dear, and I hope you have a wonderful first day here at Woodrow Wilson Elementary."

"Thank you," Marina replied.

Five minutes later, a young boy with scruffy dark blond hair and a faded t-shirt hanging down over his jeans shuffled into the office, giving the receptionist a brief glance.

"And here he is now." The receptionist gave Marina a bright smile. "Jacob, this is your new classmate, Marina Belikova. Please take her to her new class."

"Yes, ma'am." He barely glanced at Marina as he tilted his head in the direction of the hallway.

They walked halfway down that hall, then turned left onto another. The door Jacob led Marina to had a sign taped to the front. It said 'Mrs. Beeman' in large black magic marker letters and was accompanied by a cartoon bee landing on a cartoon flower.

Mrs. Beeman turned out to be a plump, middle-aged woman with short, curly blonde hair and dimples. She smiled as Jacob and Marina entered the room. "Class, let's all welcome our newest student, Marina Belikova."

"Hello, Marina," all the students said together.

"Marina, I think there's an empty seat right there behind Jill," said Mrs. Beeman. Jill stood and smiled, indicating the available seat, and Marina went to it, wondering what was in store for her.

* * *

As Dimitri came to and regained his bearings, he realized that he was in a small airplane with Christian, Lissa, and the little girl he'd met outside the convenience store. Christian spoke first. "We're taking you to my private resort on St. Thomas, Dimitri. It's the only place I feel you'll be safe."

"Considerate of you to tell me this now."

"I'm sorry we had to do it this way, but we were afraid you'd fight us," said Lissa. "As soon as we saw how negative the reaction to your book was, we knew we had to do something."

Despite the indignity of having been kidnapped, Dimitri reflected that at least he was on his way to a place with beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate. "Your little friend here is quite a charmer." He nodded toward Melody.

"This is our daughter, Melody," Lissa told him.

"Your daughter." Dimitri gave a gentle chuckle. "What a lovely outcome to your reunion!"

"She's adopted," Christian told him."Her parents were killed in the fire at the camp for disadvantaged children. She was severely burned herself, so in addition to her grief, she had to endure a painful recovery."

"Poor little thing." Dimitri gave Melody a sympathetic smile. "I have a daughter just about your age. Her name's Marina."

Melody smiled. "That's a pretty name."

* * *

"I have to go to the principal's office for a few minutes," Mrs. Beeman announced. "Anthony will be your monitor while I'm gone. Come on up, Anthony."

Anthony, a dark-skinned boy with tight black curls who was wearing a striped polo shirt and matching slacks, came to the front and took his place. Mrs. Beeman hadn't even been gone for five minutes when a boy named Nathan spoke. "So, Marina, how many Americans did your father kill?"

"My father killed no one!" Marina's eyes blazed as she glared at Nathan.

"He must have," said Nathan's friend, Steven. "He's a Commie, and that's what Commies did. They killed Americans, and since you're his kid, that makes you one, too."

"I am _not _a Commie, and as I told you before, my father never killed anyone!"

Before the words were out of Marina's mouth, half the class was already chanting. "Commie! Commie! Commie!"


	42. Sing That Song For Me

"You must come right away!" the school principal insisted. "She's in my office right now, sobbing her little heart out and begging for you."

"I'll be right there!" Rose grabbed a sweater and dashed for the door. Jumping into the driver's seat of the little Honda Civic she'd been driving since her arrival in Montana, she sped toward the elementary school.

Once there, she parked in the first available spot she saw and raced toward the entrance. She entered the office to find her older daughter sitting on a chair, her face red and puffy with tears. Marina ran to her and embraced her, burying her face in the front of Rose's shirt. "They called me horrible things, Mommy!" She sounded like a five-year-old. "They c-called Papa a murderer and s-said he should go back to Russia!"

"I'm so sorry that happened, sweetheart." Rose looked at the principal.

"Mrs. Beeman said she'd stepped out of the classroom, leaving a young man named Anthony as monitor," he explained. "She said when she returned, she found that almost the entire class, including Anthony, had ganged up on Marina and were chanting at her."

Rose felt fury rush through her veins. "Why, those little - "

"The students who were involved have been dealt with appropriately, Mrs. Belikova. We called you to let you know about your daughter's emotional state and to recommend that she be dismissed from school for the remainder of the day."

"My daughter was victimized by her classmates and you're sending _her _home?" Rose was almost shrieking.

"We're only concerned about her well being," the assistant principal interjected. "As you can see, she's in no condition to return to class right now."

Looking into her daughter's face, Rose had to concede that the other woman was right. She slipped an arm around Marina's shoulders and led her to the parking lot.

"Where are Viktor and Vanessa?" Marina asked as soon as the car was moving. She'd calmed down somewhat and was no longer crying.

"Bonita took them out to the barn to play with the animals," Rose told her.

As soon as they'd reached the farm, Marina rushed to join her brother and sister, and within a short time, had put the trauma of the day behind her. Alethia returned home from work several hours later.

"What happened with Marina? I heard she was sent to the principal's office today."

"Her classmates were tormenting her. They upset her so badly she had to be excused for the rest of the day."

"Oh, no! But why?"

"Apparently, they'd heard their parents talking about Dimitri's book. Kids can be so cruel."

"They certainly can be," Alethia agreed. "Perhaps you should simply pull her out of school, and I'll tutor her in the evenings and on weekends, at least until this all blows over."

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that - "

"Please. I insist."

"But when would you ever get a break?"

"I don't need breaks."

"Of course you do. Everyone needs breaks."

Alethia smiled. "Not me."

* * *

When the small private airplane touched down, Dimitri found himself in a tropical paradise. White puffy clouds floated in an azure sky, palm trees blew in the breeze, and the clear water sparkled in the sun.

"This is the closest thing to heaven I've ever experienced." Dimitri felt a twinge of guilt when he thought about his family, consigned to chilly Montana.

"I thought you didn't believe in all that," Christian reminded him.

"Being here makes me think perhaps there _is _something out there, after all."

"Don't worry, there aren't any sharks," Melody interjected.

Dimitri glanced at his watch. Four o'clock in the evening. Rose and the children would be having dinner about now. "So what do we do now, grab a couple of drinks and lie beside the pool?"

Christian grinned. "If you want!"

* * *

Rose was just about to get the twins ready for bed when the telephone rang.

"Hello?"

"Roza?"

"Dimitri!" She almost dropped the receiver. "Is everything all right? I've been so worried!"

Dimitri chuckled. "No need to worry about me, darling. I'm in a very beautiful place. It's best I don't say exactly where, but Christian and Lissa are here with me, and I'm safe. Are you and the children all right?"

"We're fine, except that we miss you, of course."

"I miss you too, very much." He cleared his throat. "Are the children still awake?"

Rose covered the receiver with her hand. "Marina! Come say hello to your father!"

Marina was there within seconds, snatching the receiver from her mother. "Papa!"

"Hello, Marinochka. Are you doing all right?"

"I'm all right, Papa." Something told her it would be best not to mention what had happened at school. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart, but I miss you and your Mama and your brother and sister very much. I can't wait until we can all be together again."

"When will that be, Papa?"

"Very soon, Marinochka." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Will you please put your Mama back on the line?"

Marina handed the receiver back to Rose.

"Roza? Are you there?"

"I'm here, Dimitri."

"Will you sing that song for me? I want to go to sleep with your beautiful voice in my head."

Rose took a deep breath and began. "Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh, so mellow..."


	43. Temptation

"Was that your little girl you were talking to?" Melody asked Dimitri after he'd hung up the telephone.

"Yes, that was my Marina."

"I wish I had a sister close to my age. I get so lonely sometimes."

"Perhaps you and Marina could meet sometime. That would be nice."

"Do you have a picture of her?"

Dimitri took a family photograph from his wallet. "This is her, and these are the twins, Viktor and Vanessa."

"What's that Viktor has on his legs?"

"He has to wear braces because he has cerebral palsy."

Dimitri went to bed that night with Rose's voice going through his mind, and her face came to him in his dreams. He already missed her so much it hurt. Of all the women he'd been with, both before he'd met her and during the years they'd been apart, none of them had even come close to touching his heart as she had, and he couldn't wait to see her again.

One day, Christian, Lissa, and Melody went shopping, leaving Dimitri alone. Feeling lonely and bored, he made his way to the beach, where he sat drinking a lemonade and thinking about the beach in California and the many happy times he'd spent there with his family, when he saw something that took his breath away.

From the back, she looked so much like Rose that he could have sworn she was his wife. She had the same long, dark brown hair and wore it in the same style. She was wearing a blue one-piece swimsuit that flattered her long legs as she collected seashells along the shore. She caught him looking at her and smiled at him, and he smiled back. Encouraged, she approached him. "Hi, I'm Michelle."

"I'm Dimitri," he told her.

"I love your accent! Where are you from?"

"Russia."

"Wow! Really?" She sat down in the sand beside him. "It sure is hot out here, isn't it? Want to go somewhere cooler?"

They were on their way to a convenience store when Michelle cried out in pain, and Dimitri saw that she'd stepped on a jellyfish tentacle. Alarmed, he picked her up and carried her back to Christian's home, where he knew his friend had an anti-venom kit in his medicine cabinet. Gently, he laid the injured woman on the sofa and went to get it. When he returned several seconds later, he saw that her face was contorted in pain and couldn't help but see Rose lying there instead.

"Please hurry," she whimpered, and the agony in her voice pierced his soul.

"I'm right here." He frowned in concentration as he applied the medication to her wound and, several seconds later, she sighed and went limp. "Ah, that feels so much better!"

Before Dimitri realized what was happening, she'd pulled his face to her own and was giving him a passionate kiss.

"No!" he cried, pulling away. "I can't! I'm - "

"Come here, baby," she murmured, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him close again, and all he could hear was Rose's voice, and all he could feel was the warmth of Rose's touch, and as she reached for his crotch, he felt himself grow rigid, ready for her -

The sound of the door being unlocked startled them both. Christian and Lissa! Michelle sprang to her feet and limped out of the room, impossibly nimble for someone who'd suffered a jellyfish sting less than an hour before, and escaped just as the Ozeras entered the house.

* * *

Rose was sitting at her desk, reading fan mail, when she heard the doorbell ring. Bonita had taken the children on an outing, and Rose welcomed a morning to relax and catch up on some chores. Although she'd attempted to keep her new location hush-hush, the information had still leaked out, and die-hard fans had begun to write to her there. So far she hadn't received any threats, but she was on the look-out for them.

Now she answered the door to find a plumber standing there. He was about forty and had the bluest eyes that were staring at her in stunned recognition. "Rose Hathaway!"

"Yes."

"I came to fix the kitchen plumbing, but can I have your autograph when I'm done?"

"Of course!"

She stepped aside so he could enter the house and then went back to her stack of fan mail and forgot about the interruption, until she heard his voice again. "All finished!"

She looked up, and he leered at her. "Can I have that autograph now?"

She opened a drawer, took out a piece of stationery, signed it, and handed it to him.

"Great! Now how about a kiss?"

Rose cleared her throat. "I think you'd better leave now."

"Not until I get that kiss!" He grabbed her shoulders and crushed his lips against hers, then moved one hand to fondle a breast. Panicked, she wrenched out of his grasp, ran into the bedroom, locked the door, and threw herself across the bed, weeping hysterically.

* * *

Big tears welled in Dimitri's eyes as he stared at the photograph, in which Rose was smiling and holding Vanessa. Please forgive me, darling. You know I would never deliberately hurt you in any way, but I just miss you so much, and she reminded me so of you. Thank God Christian and Lissa came back when they did. I can't bear to think about what might have happened otherwise.


	44. I'll Never Let You Go Again

"I'd say he was about forty," Rose told the police investigator. "He was maybe around six feet tall. He had longish medium brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing dirty jeans and a light blue t-shirt. That's all I can remember."

"I see." The investigator scribbled busily in his notebook. "Any scars or tattoos that you can remember?"

"No."

"What about his accent? Foreign? New England? Southern? Texas drawl?"

"He sounded just like an ordinary person to me. American. I don't know. Midwestern, maybe?"

The investigator wrote that down. "And you say you were standing right beside this desk, right where I'm standing now, when he assaulted you."

"Yes. He'd asked for my autograph, and I gave it to him. Then he asked for a kiss, and I told him to leave. That's when he grabbed me."

"Where? I mean, by what body part?"

"By the shoulders. He kissed me on the lips and then touched my - right here. As soon as I could, I broke free and ran away from him."

"Did he follow you?"

"No. I ran into the bedroom and locked the door, and by the time I came back out, he was gone."

"Thank you. We'll keep you posted." The police left, and Rose went outside, where Bonita was helping all three children build a snowman.

"Can I put the carrot on?" asked Vanessa. She turned her head and saw Rose. "Hi, Mommy!"

"Hi, sweetie." Rose lifted the little girl so she could give the snowman his nose.

"Yay!" Viktor clapped. "Can I do his mouth now?"

* * *

"I don't believe it!" Dimitri gasped when he saw the headline. 'Actress Assaulted in Montana.' Shocked, he read the article, then read it again, as Christian and Lissa looked on, concerned. He raised his head and looked at them. "Rose was attacked in Alethia's home. A man came to the door claiming to be a plumber. She let him in, and he tried to force himself on her."

"Oh, no!" gasped Lissa. "Did he hurt her?"

"No, but it scared her to death." He blinked back tears. "I should have been there to protect her, but where was I? Lying in the sun, enjoying myself, while she had to go through it all alone."

"Have they caught the man?" Christian's voice held thinly veiled anger.

"No." The newspaper dropped to the table. As Dimitri swept the hair back from his forehead with his fingers, the agony on his face was obvious. "He'd better pray he never has to face me."

"I'm so sorry." Lissa embraced her grieving friend.

"I have to go to her right away!" Dimitri exclaimed.

"We'll take you," Christian offered.

* * *

"Kids! It's time to come in!" Rose shouted.

"Why?" asked Vanessa. "I'm not tired yet!"

"It will be dark soon, and then it will get much colder," her mother told her. "Besides, it will be dinnertime soon."

"Come on, guys." Marina took one twin's hand in each of hers and led them toward the house.

Just then, a dark blue van pulled up in the driveway. Rose frowned. I wasn't expecting company today, she thought to herself. The icy fingers of fear began to dance delicately down her spine when suddenly the passenger's side door swung open and a familiar figure emerged.

"Papa!" All three children ran to embrace their father, and he laughed as he lifted them one by one for an embrace.

Seconds later, Dimitri reached for Rose, and she ran into his arms, clinging to him, burying her face in the front of his coat. "Let's all go inside before we freeze to death," he whispered.

They went into the living room, where Marina showed her father what she'd been learning in school, and the twins babbled excitedly about sledding and candied apples and horses, and then Bonita took them into another room so Rose and Dimitri could talk in private.

"Is it safe for you to be here?" she asked.

"I'm not staying," he told her. "I only came by long enough to collect you and the children and take you all back with me."

She frowned. "But why..."

"I know what happened to you. I saw it in the paper. Oh, Roza, I'm so sorry!"

"It wasn't your fault." She sighed. "At least he didn't rape me."

"I can't help but blame myself," he replied. "If I hadn't written the book...if I hadn't sent you and the children to Montana alone..."

"You did what you had to, Dimitri. Nobody could have foretold this would happen."

"But it did, and you had to go through it all alone." He reached for her, and she went into his arms, and suddenly the tears began to flow again.

"After it happened, I just wanted you so bad..."

"I'm here now, sweetheart, and I'll never let you go again." He held her, murmuring comforting words until her sobs had dwindled down to hiccups.


	45. Epilogue

"Wow, it looks like summertime again!" Marina exclaimed as the family stepped off the airplane.

"It's always summer here," her father told her. "It never gets cold or snows. You don't have to wear coats or hats or scarves."

Vanessa took her brother's hand and began to run happily along the sand as he struggled to keep up with her.

"You'll be safe here," Dimitri told Rose. "Nobody even knows we're here. Everything's going to be fine from now on, darling."

Rose clung to his hand as she took in the puffy white clouds floating in the azure sky, the clear water, the wet sand. "This is heaven," she sighed.

"A good place for you to recuperate from your ordeal." Dimitri's voice was tender.

"A good place for us to be together as a family again," Rose replied. "Oh, Dimitri, being away from you was just awful! Please tell me we can always be together like this from now on!"

"Of course we can." He took her into his arms and began to kiss her passionately, and she returned his fervor, her fingers running through his hair, desire springing to life inside her. She felt him grow hard through their clothing and knew he felt just like she did.

"Later," he whispered.

They played on the beach with the kids, building sand castles and collecting seashells, and later, they enjoyed a dinner of hot dogs cooked over the grill. Much later, after the kids were in bed, they cuddled together upon the crisp, cool sheets, basking in the fulfillment of their love.

"It's just so good to have you here," Dimitri mumbled as his fingers massaged her back.

A memory flashed through her mind: tears had been streaming down their cheeks as his lips had grazed her face. Good-by, my little actress.

"I love you, Dimitri." She stretched and gave a luxurious yawn. The pain of the past, all the hurt and sorrow, now seemed light years away, and all she was aware of was the nearness of her beloved, the warmth of his breath on her skin, the softness of his touch.

"I love you too, Roza." As he kissed her moist forehead, the world seemed to slip away, and it was just the two of them.

_Many thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed this story!_


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